Secrets of Dalhir
by natismo
Summary: UPDATED! CHAPTER 9!The machinations of a Pirate King bring Luke and his friends into danger, and secrets hidden from the galaxy threaten the peace of the New Republic.Set 4 years after ROTJ AU – LukeMara, LeiaHan, Karrde, Chewbacca, OC’s.
1. Prologue

Secrets of Dalhir Setting: AU – Luke, Mara, Leia, Han, Karrde, OC's Four years after Return of the Jedi, a few months after Leia and Han got married. Leia is Chief of State and Talon Karrde is a PIRATE! (OooOooo..) 

Leia has made Luke keep the truth about their father a secret. Only Han knows they are related.

AN: I've never read the Timothy Zahn's books in their entirety… I liked the idea of Mara Jade 'finding' Luke floating around in an X-wing. I had no real 'outline' when I started this story... it just sort of grew of it's own accord… suggestions are welcome, and although I check, I DO miss typos.. sorry…

Prologue 

_Three figures cloaked in darkness._

_Her Master._

_ Power _

_Vader._

_The Jedi._

"_See child, what unfolds above Endor…"_

_ Darkness _

_Red-white and Green-white clashing._

_Vader, the dark Sith giant, beaten back by the slight figure of the Jedi._

_The Emperor offering to teach him._

_The small black-clad jedi smirking._

_A Trick._

_Vader and Skywalker advancing on the Emperor, screaming out in deafening rage, Red and Green blades of light raised against him._

_ Pain _

_Force Lightening deflected by the traitor and the Jedi._

_Her Master betrayed by his apprentice. Vader. The man he called 'friend'._

"_You will kill Luke Skywalker!"_

_Lightsabers slashing down upon the aged emperor, defenseless…_

_ Pain _

_ Agony _

"_YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!"_

_ Hatred _


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1 

_Present Time_

_Hyperspace, somewhere in the Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

The woman twisted in her sleep, her limbs thrashing as if locked in a desperate struggle. Her face was buried between the mattress and pillow, leaving only red-gold hair visible to the frowning man standing in the door. Her breath came in short gasps, angry groans and muttered curses echoing too loudly against the walls of the tiny cabin.

The man, her boss, her friend, Captain Talon Karrde, entered and stood beside her bunk. Not interfering, just watching, wondering at his best course of action. He tried to make sense of her angry monologue, but save a few curses that even _he_ didn't think a woman had any right knowing… it was gibberish.

He noticed that her delicate pale hands were clenched into tight fists. Talon leant a little closer. The fingernails of her left hand were drawing a little blood where they bit into her flesh.

He decided the time for diplomatically leaving his First Mate to her nightmare had passed, he knew Mara Jade would be angry or embarrassed at his intrusion, but she was bleeding on his sheets. /_And sith knows how much real cotten ones cost!…not that **I** paid for them of course../_

A strong tanned hand firmly shook the near-convulsing woman on the shoulder.

At that moment her words, still slurred with fury, finally cleared to Talon's ears "….kill…skywalker..."

Then her bright emerald eyes had snapped open and all trace of her violent dream left her.

They narrowed suspiciously in Talon's direction. He inwardly sighed but outwardly put on his bland 'Pirate Chief' face. Ever since that one harmless little proposition… after he'd indulged in a little too much Kuati Brandy one night… Mara, already by nature a cautious woman, had become very wary of her employer's intentions.

Especially if a bunk was involved.

"Captain Karrde?"

Mara's voice was calm. Cold. Suspicious... Normal.

Talon shook his head slightly in confusion, but his stern expression didn't falter. "Jade. You were talking in your sleep. Thrashing about…." He looked pointedly at her hand, "…Bleeding on the sheets."

Green eyes flicked briefly towards the offending appendage.

She seemed somewhat reassured of Karrde's intentions. "My apologies."

She looked at him pointedly, waiting for him to excuse himself.

He contemplated asking her about her nightmare.

The silence in the cabin stretched.

The Captain contemplated possibly ways to broach the subject. He stood mutely in her doorway for almost a full minute.

A sudden burst of inebriated song drifted down the hall from the forward staff rec room. From the sounds of things, a rather lewd rendition of 'what shall we do with the drunken spacer?'.

Neither occupant of Mara Jade's cabin reacted.

Eventually one of Mara's finely shaped eyebrow raised, plainly asking Karrde to either spit it out or make with the hasty retreat.

He coughed and continued sharply, quickly hiding his embarrassment, "There is some… information… that needs my urgent attention Jade. You will take a shift on the bridge while I review it in my quarters."

His second nodded. "I'll be there presently Captain."

Karrde nodded and exited at a brisk walk, leaving his beautiful young Officer alone in her cabin.

He really did have some new information to review and was looking forward to pulling out his datapad in private. He hadn't dropped by Mara Jade's cabin _just_ to enjoy the view. Something his spy network had picked up from the New Republic Holonet. Karrde wondered idly if it would prove more interesting than whatever it was that was giving the indomitable Mara Jade nightmares.

Unlikely.

He'd noticed she was occasionally prone to nightmares, which she never explained. She also had amazing luck and very accurate 'hunches'. Coupled with her brilliance as a pilot and lethality with both a blaster and her bare hands, Karrde had long since deduced that she was possibly some sort of Force Sensitive. When she had first started with him he'd dismissed her as an ex-imperial officer or agent down on her luck but though she had no love of the New Republic, of late he was leaning towards a semi-Jedi theory.

_/Perhaps one of the 'rogue' half-trained ones/_ he mused. At the very least someone with force potential. If she was having nightmares about killing Luke Skywalker, then she was obviously hiding some sort of Jedi-related past.

_/Perhaps she was involved in one of the Jedi enclaves that supposedly survived the purges.. or maybe one of her parents was a Jedi… I've heard rumors of Old Republic Jedi with a hatred of Skywalker, that could explain homicidal tendencies…/_ The other theory he had seemed even more ridiculous. Karrde had heard rumors that the Emperor had trained a group of assassins with Jedi powers, his 'Hands'. He personally doubted such agents had ever existed, _/I'm sure Palpatine had some deadly assassins, but he killed Jedi, not trained them! Besides, Mara might be a tough one, but she's no Imperial Assassin/_

Whatever the truth of her skills, it lay in her past, of which Mara Jade _never_ spoke. Karrde was sure that _that_ tale, the life of Mara Jade, would be far more exciting than anything in the datapad sitting in his pocket.

Still, an encrypted transmission from the Senate to the _Alderaan_, personal ship of Chief of State Leia Organa, _/Organa Solo/_ he corrected himself, could prove valuable, if not particularly riveting viewing. The _Lucky Karrde_ had been out of communication for over a week, so Talon was looking forward to some news.

Depending on the information in his Datapad, there was a chance that the infamous Captain Karrde could soon be in an enviable position to exert _influence_ upon the government, most helpful to a smuggler-pirate looking to expand his 'operations'.

_10 Standard days earlier_

_Coruscant – New Republic Senate Sitting_

Leia Organa Solo smoothed her long white dress as she took her place on the dais at the center of the senate chamber floor.

The dress was simple, like most of her wardrobe, and her hair, intricately braided in High Alderannian style, was the only outward sign of her status. Since the fall of the Empire, Old Republic grandeur had come back into fashion, but Leia had worn more than enough jewels and corsets during her childhood as the Crown Princess of House Organa to follow the fashion. She knew as well as Mon Mothma that beauty could be a curse for a woman who wished to be taken seriously as a politician.

Besides, she was a Princess, and a part of her still lived by the courtly manners she'd been taught as a child. '_A Princess is marked by her bearing and grace, not her crown or jewels'_ had been a favorite of her adoptive mother. She smiled slightly remembering times during the rebellion when she'd found herself sweaty, disheveled, covered in mud and bleeding, but still able to bring hope and pride to her soldiers just with her supposed 'regal self-confidence'. She'd often found herself muttering antiquated etiquette rules like mantras to keep her outward appearance unflappable under pressure.

At 27, she was the youngest Chief of State or High Councilor ever elected. She was proud of this particular achievement. It made her feel as though her father Bail would be smiling down on her from the heaven.

Around her, towering up to unimaginable heights, the senators of the New Republic sat in their seats looking down at her.

As soon as she'd entered the chamber silence had fallen over the mixed crowd. All the systems of the Republic were represented in an impressive kaleidoscope of alien races. Admittedly, some systems were home to several sentient races, and there were many races not represented, but it was Leia's dream that one day all the varied races would have a spokesperson to the Republic Government. She and her inner council were looking at several plans to bring greater equality to the New Republic.

She felt a small serge of pride in what the Rebel Alliance had achieved as she looked around the Grand Senate Chamber.

There was equality and democracy evident in the members of the Senate. She thought back to the day ten years ago when she had entered the Imperial Senate for the first time, in a dress similar to the one she wore now, and had seen only human faces around her.

Leia allowed herself a moment to collect herself then let her voice ring out clear into the vast space through the discrete in-house comm system.

"Honored Senators of the New Republic, I call this sitting of the Senate to order."

The next hour passed as she was accustomed Senate Sittings to. Smaller systems aired disputes with rivals and neighbors over exports and other economical concerns, representative of longer established worlds and systems bought up long standing issues in continued attempts to find resolutions, and occasionally someone would bring gossip into the mix.

That morning the most interesting matter bought before the Senate was the increasing presence of a pirate chief operating from a base somewhere near the Corporate Sector. Several senators spoke of ever increasing raids and ambushes on their shipping lines. It was decided to send a New Republic force to crush the pirates before they could cause any more damage.

Such reports had become common since the fall of the Empire, in the ensuring mess, many smugglers and privaters had attempted to carve sphere's of influence for themselves on the outer rim. It perked Leia's ears because her husband Han was a few days late returning from the Corporate Sector. _/Han is fine, he's done that run a thousand times. If any pirate where to set their sights on the falcon, it would be them that would need to worry…/_

After the senators had exhausted legitimate matters to bring before the senate, some stooped to bickering, and political posturing.

Leia knew that gossip and intrigue were a long standing part of politics, after all, she had been raised by the Viceroy of Alderaan and elected to the Imperial Senate at just 16, but it still disheartened her to hear such petty squabbling.

As usual, she swiftly ended any such debates as soon as they broke out. Some of her senators refused to be silenced however, and 3 hours and 12 minutes into that particular Senate Sitting, one of her arch political rivals, Borsk Fey'lya of Bothawai bought up some particularly disturbing gossip.

"Honored Senators, I have disturbing intelligence I feel it is my duty to report to you."

Leia gave the Bothan her full attention. Her Force sense tingled in warning.

Borsk waited until the great hall was silent.

"The Bothan Spy Net, during routine security checks of communications of suspicious origins, as per section 534A of the New Republic Galactic Security Code, has discovered a holo-comm of…" he paused (to reassemble his face into a mask of 'unease' he felt the other species around him could relate to), "… most disturbing nature."

He turned his deceptively 'pretty' violet eyes in Leia's direction. He reminded her of a nexu, admittedly a rather stunted one, creeping up on its prey

Her Force sense flared again in warning, _/Something is not right…/_ There was little she could do to heed its warning however.

She nodded slightly, "We trust your judgement Senator and will hear more of this matter. Please, continue."

The Bothan's eyes lit up in some small victory before his 'concerned' expression returned.

Leia shifted uneasily in her throne-like seat.

"Senators, I have unwittingly stumbled upon a betrayal of the Republic. Treason amongst our highest and most trusted leaders!"

Gasps and excited whispers broke out around the Senate. It had been at least 2 standard months since a wild unfounded accusation of treason had been made in the Senate.

Obviously, it was overdue.

The chief of State's eyebrows furrowed slightly. _/Great. Another pointless exercise in Bothan Political Maneuvering. I wonder who he's trying to defame this time/_

She raised her voice over the noise, "Senator Fey'la! Please, explain to us what this communication you intercepted was." She paused, "I trust that this is a founded accusation Senator. Such matters should be bought before the High Council for verification before being brought before the Senate, as you are well aware." _/Not that it stops any of the Senators../_

The Bothan's eyes hardened, "I assure you, _Madame Chief of State_, my accusations are well founded, the evidence irrefutable, and my reluctance to bring the matter before _you_ and the High Council most understandable."

Leia felt her heart beat quicken/_it almost sounds as if he is accusing me! Well, I have nothing to fear. Even if the Bothan bugged my apartment all he'd have recorded would be a few… erm… 'colourful' arguments with Han… /_

She found her voice, "Senators, this seems grave indeed, although I hope, for the sake of the New Republic, intelligence has been mistaken. Please, continue."

The Bothan cleared his throat, the noise echoing through the comm speakers. "The holo-comm in question originated from a member of the High Council."

Gasps of outrage echoed through the chamber, some in shock at the thought of a traitor in the High Council, others, like the Senator Grachii from the Corellian Sector, in outrage at such intrusion of privacy. He stood in his seat activating his comm, "You mean to say that members of the Senate are spied upon? All out personal communications are monitored by _Bothan_ Intelligence?" His voice rose in indignation, " Tell me, do you record my conversations with my wife, Senator Fey'la?"

Borsk seemed put out by this accusation, and in his delay to answer, many other senators yelled out, their conflicting comms jamming up the system.

Leia let them yell, secretly enjoying their reaction. She did not trust the Bothan Senator, and didn't see any reason to restore order on his behalf.

Borsk was practically yelling, "No! No!… This is NOT a common occurrence! The only reason this particular message was flagged was because of its unusual encryptions!"

The Senate quieted, slightly, and he continued, his voice still raised over a general whispering. "You see _Honored _Senators, this message was encrypted with not only the highest of New Republic codes, but also those of the Rebel Alliance High Command from the war, which are no longer used… and also…" he paused for dramatic affect, "The personal imperial encryption codes of the Sith Lord, Darth Vader."

The Senate was silent save a near collective gasp.

Leia's head snapped in up in shock, _/Vader's codes?… my.. father's/ _ Her eyes met the fiercely victorious stare of Borsk, he'd been waiting to judge her reaction.

Suddenly Leia knew what the Bothan was going to reveal to the senate, the dark secret she had made her brother and husband keep.

In a blind dread and fear she heard him continue, "Yes! The Sith Lord's own personal encryptions, the only ones that were never broken, even after the fall of the empire."

Leia closed her eyes, she knew what was coming. She knew it was a lie, no one had made any holo-comm with Vader's encripts, but she knew what the Bothan was about to say.

Senator Grachii interrupted however, "So? Using an imperial encryption is not an act of treason Senator Fey'la. Perhaps it merely a means of providing extra privacy, it was a _personal_ holo-comm after all was it not?"

Fey'la smiled, his sharp teeth gleaming, "Indeed, it is not an act of treason Senator Grachii, merely suspicious. That is the reason the Bothan Spy Net sliced this message. I can assure you we do not usually intercept private holos."

Grachii nodded grudgingly, "I suppose it warranted investigation."

"Thank-you Senator. Now, the actual message….I think it better if I simply replayed it for you."

He nodded to an assistant. The senate was filled with an air of anticipation.

The holo projectors imbedded in the arm rest's of the senator's chairs flickered to life. Leia's dread doubled.

Fey'la delayed showing the clip for a moment longer, "My fellow senators, this will no doubt be most disturbing for many of you. I urge to watch it in its entirety before making any comments."

The blue tinged holo before Leia shimmered into two figures a foot high.

One clad in black, a long hooded cloak covering him from head to toe, his face in shadow. Facing him was a figure clad in a white cloak, obviously a woman, but her face also in shadows.

The woman spoke, and although her heart sank as the strong calm voice echoed from a thousand tiny comm speakers around the senate hall, Leia was not surprised.

The Princess's own voice, made tinny and small by the rough recording echoed, _"It is almost time brother. All is in place."_

Her words were stilted, Leia knew it was because the recording was a splicing of many difference holo's. She wondered if anyone else would see through it so easily.

Luke Skywalker's deep voice responded from the darkness of his Jedi cloak. _"Yes sister. I am ready to do thy bidding. The Senate... will not. Stand in our way."_

His voice was as stilted as her's. They had tried to replicate Darth Vader's speech patterns. Her brother never said "thy".. _/he was raised on a Tatooine moisture farm, not Imperial Centre for Sith's sake/_

It was so obviously a fake.

The holo of her drew back it's hood, Leia vaguely noted that save the colour, she did not own an outfit even remotely like the one the figure wore, _"I am most pleased Luke. Soon we will fulfil our father's legacy of Darkness and The Galaxy will be ours."_

Leia unconsciously rolled her eyes. _/Great, now I'm talking like a Sith Lord too…'Legacy of Darkness' This is pathetic/_

The holo of her brother likewise drew back his hood, revealing blonde hair tinged blue by the poor quality recording. He was smiling radiantly, _/Well, that's his grin alright..,"Yes Lord Vader's great legacy will be fulfilled though his heirs."_

The holo-leia laughed, _"Yes! And there is no Emperor left to stand in our way!"_

Holo-luke inclined his head in agreement_, "Yes…Although, it saddened me greatly that our father died destroying him…"_

Leia wondered where they'd stolen that line from. It almost _did_ sound like something Luke would say.

"_There was nothing you could do Luke. You couldn't have known… the Emperor's force lightening would affect… father's suit that way it did."_

The odd pauses in the dialogue were incredibly amateurish.

The figure of her brother nodded sadly, _"I know, but it saddens me. Lord Vader could have taught us much."_

Her Holo flickered, _"Sorry luke, Han is back. I must go."_

Her brother nodded_, "May the force be with you sister."_

"…_and with you brother."_

The figures flicked out like flames and vanished.

The senate was in uproar.

It seemed equally divided between senators yelling abuse at Borsk Fey'la for his obvious deception, and the rest of the senate, the Jedi-fearing side, yelling abuse at her and her brother.

Leia sighed, _/Luke was right. I should have told the senate that he was my twin.. should have told them of my biological father… after Endor…I should not have keep this hidden from all save Han/_

Leia stood in her place, her voice ringing clearly around the senate, "This holo is a fabrication. I'm certain the New Republic's slicer's will be able to prove it a forgery in a matter of minutes. Neither Jedi Luke Skywalker nor myself have any designs on creating a new Empire. It is ludicrous. I can only assume that this message was planted to attract the Bothan's attention. By who and for what purpose I can't say. But whoever they are, they have succeeded in bring much dissent to the Senate.

When NR Intelligence discover the origin of this message, they will be dealt with to the full extent of the law. I will not allow the New Republic Senate to be subject to such ridiculous gossips and intrigues." She paused, "I only pray that no one in this chamber was involved." Pointedly her cold stare settled on Borsk, "You should have bought this before the High Council Senator."

Leia hoped that this vague statement of denial would satisfy the senate._/As long as no one asks about the whole brother/sister situation…/_

For a moment they seemed content accept her words, even if many senators were whispering to each other suspiciously about the Jedi, when Borsk Fey'la's voice again broke through the din.

"Madam Chief of State. You claim this message to be a fabrication, that you and Skywalker have no such designs on the Republic, but you make no denial of the other matter this message exposes…"

Leia's heart gave a lurch. She realised that this had been Borsk's intention all along. The Holo was obviously a fake, but he knew about her father. He wasn't trying to prove the Holo was real, just expose her. He knew that Leia Organa Solo, chief of state, being the daughter of a Sith Lord, Darth Vader himself no less, would effectively ruin her political career. _/Or any other career…/_

She tilted her head to the side as if confused, "Forgive me Senator, I do not follow. The only treasonous accusation in that holo was my supposed desire to build an Empire. What other matter do you speak of?"

The senate grew almost quiet again, the Bothan smiled snidely, "Oh I think you know what I am referring to, _Leia Skywalker…"_

Leia's eyes went wide. /_no. no. no…no! This can't be happening! How can he know! Only luke and Han know the truth/_

Her voice became deathly cold, "Just _what_ are you implying Senator?"

Borsk was practically jumping up and down in excitement, it was radiating off him in the Force, "I am not sure exactly.. Perhaps you could clear up my confusion. I was most intrigued by the references to Luke Skywalker as your 'brother' in the Holo, so I took the liberty of doing a through background check on your family history…."

Leia's heart stopped. _/It's over… He knows.. I have to tell them now../ _She couldn't breathe.

The Bothan continued, "Can you explain why your adoption Certificate, as recorded in duplicate at Obrai-Skai, names you as 'Leia Amidala Skywalker'?"

The senate was filled with whispers, Leia could feel the excitement of the senators and their aides, they were all enjoying this.

Leia inhaled, trying in vain to calm herself, "I was unaware of an adoption certificate existing Senator. My parent's died in the Clone Wars, I know little else I fear." She allowed herself a moment of pride, she'd deflected that well, and honestly. Perhaps she could play dumb to the whole situation?

Leia Organa did not lie, she had been raised to be honest, but she knew that even a Jedi master could chose to 'omit' certain aspects of truth if for the greater good, as Obi-wan himself had told Luke, _/It's a matter of point of view../_

Fey'la's voices rang out clear in the oddly still senate, "Well, it is counter-signed by your adoptive father Viceroy Bail Organa of Alderaan… one 'Grand Jedi Master Yoda'…" he paused dramatically, "and your 'hold-father'… Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi. I would say it's authenticity is unquestionable don't you agree? Surely, the _great _Jedi Master's Kenobi and Yoda are above suspicion?"

The ominous silence swiftly gave way to more yelling and heckling from the assorted senators.

Leia's heart sank. But, a tiny part of her was glad. If this certificate was real, she might be able to find her mother. _/even her name…would be… wonderful../ _"I would say so Senator. I do wonder how you were able to locate so swiftly documentation which has long eluded me."

He looked uncomfortable for a split second and Leia's eyes narrowed in suspicion, then he continued ignoring her question, "Yes senators! A _fully_ authenticated document this certificate is! And it _clearly_ states that _Leia Amidala _and _Luke Anakin Skywalker, _ are the children of Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker." He spun around where he stood and pointed at Leia, he truly had a flare for the dramatic, "You have _lied_ to the Galactic Senate, Madam Chief of State."

The noise in the senate was now a roar. Leia had no idea how Borsk was keeping his comm operational with all the competing signals.

"Yes! The Skywalker twins were born at an outer rim Medical Facility on the First Empire Day. It would appear you were born at the exact time as the Empire! Odd coincidence yes? You were both born on the day the Old Republic died!"

Leia had no answer, she had always believed her birthday was a week after Empire Day, but apparently there was much she did not know about herself. Seeing the situation was hopeless, she decided to just tell the truth. Afterall, she hadn't done anything illegal. And at the very least, with her and Luke's true relationship revealed, people would stop with the disturbing 'love triangle' rumors. Leia shuddered slightly at the thought. /_And there has been no mention of Vader so far…/_

She answered Borsk Fey'la's claims as Obi-wan had once answered her brother. "The Senate knows I was an orphan of the Clone Wars. That is true for all intents and purposes…I was unaware until the battle of Endor of any details of my real family…When… When Luke told me I was his twin sister…I chose not to reveal it as it was only what he _felt_ to be true, in the force… there was no proof… after a DNA test proved him right, perhaps I should have revealed the truth, but it seemed to me to be a _personal_ matter." She paused, considering how to word what she had to say next, "I will always regarded myself as an Organa. But yes, I was aware that my biological father was a Jedi Knight named Anakin Skywalker,."

Borsk Fey'la's smile grew, "Ahh.. yes! Daughter of the great Jedi Anakin Skywalker! 'The Hero with no Fear' of the Clone Wars… What remains of him from the Imperial Records makes for impressive reading to be sure. And the twin sister of Luke Skywalker no less! Surely that is a lineage to be proud of Leia _Skywalker_."

Abruptly the false cheerfulness left his voice, "Tell me Madame Chief of State, did you really think to hide the truth from the Senate forever? The _real reason _you kept this secret? Did you really think we would never see through the lies of you and your… _brother_? You think because you are Jedi you are above the law!"

Leia's eyes grew cold, "Exactly _what_ is your point senator? I have no Jedi training and my biological father was dead before I took my first breath. I don't see why my birth name should be of interest to the senate!"

"My point is this: _You_, _Princess Leia Organa Solo_, are in fact, the daughter of the most evil Sith Lord in history! Vader himself! And you have conspired to keep the truth from the Republic since the Rebellion!"

The Senate again dissolved into disarray.

Leia glared at Borsk.

"The _Great _Anakin Skywalker fell to the Dark Side of the Force did he not Leia? You father became a SITH! That is why you and your twin were adopted! That is why you hid your _true_ identity from the Senate!"

Leia's head lowered slightly in shame.

The Bothan's voice rose, "It's true! You are the daughter of VADER!" He pointed at her as he smiled in triumph.

Leia did not know what to say, _/What can I say? It is true/_

Fey'la continued his rant, "You are not fit to serve as Chief of State! You are nothing but the daughter of a Sith!"

Anger snapped in Leia, she knew she was nothing like her father. Or at least, nothing like Vader.

"How Dare You Senator." Leia drew her head up regally. '_A Princess is marked by her bearing and grace, not her crown or jewels…'/_

"I _am_ Leia Organa Solo. I would think my dedication to democracy well proven! It matters not what blood I have in my veins, because I was raised by Viceroy Bail Organa! It was _he_ who shaped my perceptions of the Galaxy. I regard _him_ as my father… I did not even know who my biological father was until after he was dead!" she paused, "But I am not ashamed of him." She ignored the exclamations of shock around her, raising a hand to silence them.

"Anakin Skywalker, sadly, did fall to the Dark Side of the Force. And when he did, he _ceased_ to be Anakin Skywalker. He took a new name… And it was _that_ man, that vile creature created by Palpatine that was Vader. For twenty years he did the emperors biding, but when he had to chose between the Emperor and his son.. between a Jedi and a Sith, he made the right choice. He _gave_ up his power, his position, and destroyed Palpatine. That is the man who was my father… Anakin Skywalker, not Darth Vader. My father died in the light of the force. He gave his life to make amends. He sacrificed himself to kill the emperor and save his son. He died a Jedi, not a Sith. Without his sacrifice my brother would be dead, the emperor would still reign and many in this room, myself included, would be slaves or worse… I cannot forget the horror Darth Vader bought to the Galaxy in the name of the Emperor, but I have forgiven Anakin Skywalker."

The senate had returned to uneasy, disbelieving silence again.

She looked up at Fey'la, "As for why I kept this from the Senate… I admit I should have revealed the truth, but it took me a long time to come to terms with. It is not an easy thing to discover your one-time goaler and torturer is your father…."

Leia sensed some senators believed her, pitied her or understood her silence on her father's true identity. But most gave off nothing but fear, betrayal and anger through the force.

She signed, thinking perhaps she could end this debate for now, but again Fey'la spoke up.

"And what of your brother?"

Leia frowned, "What of him?"

"_You_ are not trained in the force, but how do we know he will not fall to the 'dark side'? What assurances to we have that he is not another Vader?"

Leia stood tall, "My brother is a Jedi Knight. He will never fall to the dark side."

Fey'la smiled, "Anakin Skywalker was as much a hero to the Old Republic as Luke Skywalker is to the New. I wonder, Madam Chief of State, if that is what your mother said of your father? 'He is a Jedi Knight, he will never fall to the dark side.'…Before he reportedly choked her to death?"

For the first time since his original outburst, Fey'la's words struck a note within Leia. /_What if he is right? I have no way of knowing Luke will never fall…And how can I defend Darth Vader! I have often heard that he murdered his wife… it could well be true…/_

"That is speculation! There is no knowledge of my mother's name, let alone her fate! And as for Luke, he is my brother, I _know_he will not turn!"

Fey'la smirked, "Ahh… the force tells you your brother will not turn, daughter of Anakin Skywalker? Tell me, how do we know_ you_ will not turn? You are not trained… _yet_, but you too could be a Sith-time bomb waiting to happen! We all know what happened the last time a _sith_ held your position in the senate!"

She sensed the sudden spike of fear in the people of the Senate. Their leader could easily become another Palpatine. She was the daughter of a Sith Lord. How could they trust her?

"You did not need _time_ to 'come to terms' with your father, you are an astute woman Princess Leia, you simply came to the same conclusion as everyone else in this room. You _knew_ we would not trust the daughter of a Sith Lord to serve in the Senate, because were you in our position, you would come to the same conclusion."

Leia had no reply for the Bothan. It was true, she would not entrust the republic to the child of Palpatine, how could she expect them to trust her?.

Instead of defending herself, or bringing order to the uproar in the Galactic Senate, she found herself wondering idly at her name, her _true_ name _/Leia Amidala Skywalker… Perhaps I was named for my mother/_

AN: I accidentally deleted this.. so yes.. here it is! Back again!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

_9 Standard days earlier_

_Hyperspace, Perlemian Trade Route_

_Star of Naboo – New Republic Victory Class Star Destroyer_

Luke Skywalker awoke with a start in his small bunk.

Something had woken him. An uneasiness.

For a second he was wary and unsure of where he was.

Then he remembered he was travelling with a small New Republic convoy to aid in negotiations with the leaders of the Tion Cluster. There were hopes to sign a peace treaty with several New Republic systems that neighbored the fiercely independent System. Then perhaps they work together to bring peace to the volatile region of space between the Cluster and the Corporate Sector. It was harassed by both privateers _and_ the Imperial Remnant.

He'd been somewhat surprised by the High Council's request that he accompany their representatives.

Whilst his sister Leia, and the other senators and politicians who'd been leaders of the Rebel Alliance before the fall of the Empire respected the Jedi, most other New Republic governors treated him with something akin to mistrust. Still, the force had seemed to say that accompanying the convoy was the right thing to do, so here he was.

The chilled recycled air of the _Star of Naboo_ was still around him.

He wondered idly what had woken him up. Something did not seem right. His uneasiness remained.

Artoo Detoo beeped in query from where he was plugged into a droid station.

"I'm fine Artoo, something woke me…" Frowning slightly he stretched out with the force to the crew around him.

He sensed nervousness, surprise and shock amongst the few hundred crew members awake during the great warship's sleep cycle.

Artoo whistled something about the _Star's _hyperdive reverting.

Standing Luke walked across his small Officer's cabin to viewscreen over looking space. With a flick of his hand the reinforced tranperisteel lightened from it's blackout setting to transparent. The young Jedi frowned. Where the eerie swirl of Hyperspace should have greeted him, the white pin points of real space glowed.

Artoo was right, they _had_ come out of Hyperspace early. "Where are we Artoo?"

The droid responded with a co-ordinates far outside their supposed route, they'd been dragged out of Hyperspace towards Ithor and Dathomir, _/towards the remnant. Great. Either there's a mechanical fault with the Star's Hyperdrive, which is unlikely, or someone's pulled us out…/_

In answer to his unspoken query, the ship's alarms sounded.

Swiftly Luke was dressed in his usual Jedi blacks, his lightsaber at his hip. He turned back to his window.

From the restricted view it afforded him, he could make out at least two Victory Class Star Destroyers, and from the looks of the mass of ships he could make out from the corner of the window, a much larger Imperial Class Star Destroyer.

TIE fighters were already beginning to spew forth from the battleships.

Artoo was squeaking in alarm at whatever data he was getting from the _Star's_ sensor arrays.

Luke cursed quietly to himself. "Sithspit! I'd been looking forward to a nice boring diplomatic mission... now this… I wonder who peeved off the Moffs this time?"

He thought back to his own rather restrained activities over the last few monthsand grinned _/Well, at least it wasn't me for a change/_

Artoo gave a particularly loud toot and Luke focused back on the present, "Come on Artoo, let's see what's going on."

The droid ejected from the system and quickly followed Luke out of the cabin and towards the bridge of the Star Destroyer. It would be a few minutes 'brisk' walk from their cabin.

As Luke Skywalker headed down the twisting corridors of the ship with Artoo trailing him, some of the hurrying half-dressed personnel around him stared a little longer than others, a few offered him salutes, most were too distracted by the unexpected Remnant attack to notice the Jedi in their midst. Luke picked up on the loudly projected thoughts of one particularly disgruntled looking B-Wing pilot as he rushed past him, ._/…quiet mission they said! a nice break, a chance to sleep a full 5 hours in a row they said! …Ooh! Is that Luke Skywalker? ...whatever.. A reward for the men they said…I should have stayed on the farm…Tometeos can't kill you at least…/_

Luke smirked, _/apparently my presence was less interesting that tometeo farming…/_

He was half-way to the bridge when a hand grabbed him by the arm.

He turned to see a grinning man dressed in the orange flight suit of an X-Wing pilot, "Boss! You're heading in the wrong direction!"

Luke smiled in surprise, instantly recognising his former Rogue Squadron comrade "Wedge! I didn't know the Rogues were on board!"

Wedge smirked, "We're not, 'officially'. We've been chasing a certain Pirate-Smuggler chief, he's due to make an appearance in these parts, so we jumped ship at Commenor…" He tapped the side of his nose conspiratorially , "So we've been keeping a low profile. Too low obviously! I didn't know the _Great Luke Skywalker_ was on the _Star…_"

Luke shook his head and laughed, "Well, I don't know if _The Great_ Luke Skywalker is on board, But the ordinary Skywalker is," He pointed over his shoulder, "and he's pretty sure that the bridge is that way…"

The Rogue Squadron Colonel just grinned, "Yep, sure is." he pointed over his shoulder, "But the X-Wings… They, are _this_ way..."

Luke paused, considering his options, _/do I really want to be on the bridge?… Would I be more help in an X-wing/_

Quickly coming to a decision, he turned to face the same way as his old friend, "Colonel! I do believe you are correct. The X-Wings are indeed this way…Do you think the Rogues could lend an old retired has-been with a no sense of direction something capable of taking out a few TIE's?"

"Well Commander, I think we could rustle something up for you…"

Luke shook his head and smiled, "I'm not a commander anymore Wedge, but if you're looking for a wingman…"

Wedge just laughed, "Sure thing boss…"and they both joined the flow of pilots and mechanics heading towards the docking bays.

Luke smiled, enjoying being just another X-wing pilot, not the 'last of the Jedi', for a change.

_Present Day_

_Hyperspace, somewhere in the Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

Mara Jade could see his face. It was as clear to her as the holo's she had poured over years ago, when the Emperor had given her last mission. The mission she had failed. Her nightmare had bought it all back.

She had thought the dreams were fading with time, but over the last few months they had become more and more frequent. It was her punishment for failing her Master, that much she knew. He was haunting her, he would not be satisfied until his last command had been fulfilled. Until Luke Skywalker was dead by her hand. His death avenged.

To Talon Karrde's crew on the bridge of the _Lucky Karrde_ she seemed completely alert, focused on the instruments before her, the crew manning them and the swirling lines of hyperspace visible in the forward viewscreen. But she was distracted by memories bought up by her dream, Mara let her thoughts drift back. To her past, to her true life, her true identity. _/The Emperors Hand, _his most trusted agent and assassin.

She had been trained from childhood to serve her Master with deadly perfection. And she had. She'd spent her teenage years jumping from mission to mission, eliminating countless warlords and traitorous rebels for her Master. In return he had given her everything she desired. A fine ship, droids, beautiful clothes, access to a near limitless credit account, an astonishing array of weapons and, best of all, while Lord Vader had taught her how to wield a lightsaber, he himself had shown her how to use the Force. He had shared his gift, his power with her. Her master had been her life, she had been but an extension of his will. It had brought her purpose and pride, to serve the Empire and its citizens, helping to maintain the Imperial Peace. To be, save perhaps Lord Vader, the Emperor's most trusted servant.

Her last target has been a young rebel hero.

She sneered inwardly at the thought. _/him! …A hero/_

_/Luke Skywalker./_

_/Blonde hair. Tanned complexion. Short./_

Completely unremarkable save perhaps his eyes. They were Blue. In the emperor's files the holo's had made them seem almost black. At Jabba's palace she'd noted that they were in fact a very bright sky blue. It had distracted her momentary, as much as the boldness of his rescue had. She had briefly wondered if this was really the murderer she was targeting, if there had been some sort of intelligence error. Her hesitation had cost her a chance to finish him with a blaster shot… She had almost found him attractive… Mara pushed aside this traitorous thought about her sworn enemy almost as quickly as it occurred to her, and thought back to the facts.

_/Luke Skywalker./_

_/Son of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala Nuberrie./_

_/A Jedi and a corrupt senator. Pathetic./_

_/Raised on a moisture farm in the Outer Rim planet of Tatooine_.

_/On his father's home planet…/_

She noticed that her left hand, still tender, was throbbing, Mara relaxed her fist and took a long breath, taking notice for a few seconds of the atmosphere on the _Lucky Karrde's_ Bridge. Seeing everything running smoothly, she let her concentration waver again, thinking again back to the information she had memorised about her former quarry.

_/Luke Skywalker./_

_/Rebel pilot. Considered of equal skill to Baron Soontir Fel./_

_/Rank – Commander - X-Wing Rogue Squadron./_

_/Half-trained Jedi/._

_/Skilled with a blaster and passable with a lightsaber. Basic hand to hand combat skills only./_

Of course, he was a fully fledged Jedi now. And Mara knew first hand from the force-vision her master had sent to her that he was far above 'passable' with a lightsaber. He had been Vader's equal. She doubted that even the traitor Vader would have been able to throw a fight without her Master knowing.

_/Wanted for crimes against the Empire:_

_Destruction of Imperial property including the first Death Star and murder of 2 million imperial personnel._

_Acts of terrorism against citizens of the Galactic Empire resulting in the deaths of 3540 civilians in air strikes across the imperial systems._

_Unlawful operation of a unsanctioned fighter._

_Treason against the Empire._

_Resisting arrest. (5 counts)_

_Possession of a prohibited weapon Class A – Lightsaber.._

_Illegally practicing Jedi._

_Member of the Rebel Alliance/._

The full list was much longer, listing in detail every single crime he had committed against the Empire from the age of nineteen. Every TIE he had self-righteously shot down, every colony he has cowardly bombed with Rogue Squadron, every single citizen, military and civilian alike, of the Empire that he had murdered.

The former Emperor's Hand reflected that this list would be much much longer now, and that no one save Skywalker himself would ever have any hope to bring it up to date. She doubted the imperial remnant had… Although she had heard rumors about Grand Admiral Thrawn of late. _/and Sith knows he was always pedantic about gathering as much information on his enemies as possible./_ She recalled the collections of alien art he's collected to study and she smirked, _/perhaps he has some of Skywalker's finger paintings from his school days/_

She quickly banished her would-be mirth, feeling ashamed. This was the man who'd murdered her Master. Anger surged once more within her.

/O_ne day, one day soon, once I have the resources, I will seek out the Jedi and complete my mission. I may have failed my Master, but he will still have his vengeance if nothing else./_

Mara Jade smiled a tiny cold smile.

Yes, she'd kill Luke Skywalker one day. The Visions would cease plaguing her sleep and the Emperor, her Master, would be avenged.

She found herself imagining his face, that handsome, evil face, promising herself that soon she would find him. Then it struck her.

The Force.

Captain Karrde listened to the intercepted Comm in disbelief.

The Comm was forwarded intelligence to the Chief of State from one of her Admirals. Apparently the Imperial Remnant had attacked a Victory Class star Destroyer on a peace-making trip to the Tion Cluster a little over a week ago.

Luke Skywalker, hero of the rebellion, had been involved.

He'd been flying with Rogue Squadron when his X-wing had malfunctioned, most of its instruments dying in the midst of a dog fight.

Skywalker's fighter had apparently taken a beating then vanished on an uncharted hyperspace jump.

The Admiral had been updating Organa Solo on his absence.

Apparently no trace of him or his ship had been found. The admiral had been requesting permission from the Chief of State to make an announcement that he was missing presumed dead.

What really struck Karrde though was that the Admiral referred to Skywalker several time in the transmission as her _brother_.

_/I go out of contact for one krififng week and I miss something this huge!.. unless.. perhaps it's not common knowledge. Perhaps the real relationship between Organa-Solo and Skywalker is a State Secret./_ A feral grin split the Pirate Captain's face, _/oh, this could be wonderfull…beautiful black-mailing material! And against the Chief of State and Luke Skywalker of all people/_

Still, happy as Karrde was at the prospect of holding such valuable information, learning of the young Jedi's death had saddened Talon Karrde. Not that he would never have admitted it, he was a Pirate. He didn't cry over dead Jedi.

Still, like many other fringe dwellers, the Captain had suffered under the Empire's harsh rule, and the more liberal New Republic had bought many welcome changes to his life. He stroked the smooth wall of her personal quarters, his beloved flagship has been purchased with the spoils of the fall of the Empire.

He had reason to be thankful to the Hero of the Rebellion.

Slowly suffocating or freezing to death in a disabled X-Wing was not a death he would have wished on anyone…_ /Well, maybe not _anyone_…/_

_9 Standard days earlier_

_Hyperspace, Perlemian Trade Route_

_T65 X-Wing Starfighter – 'Rogue Five'_

Luke and Wedge were the last of the Rogues up.

They shot from adjacent launch tubes through the transparent magnetic containment bubbles and out into the edge of a vicious dog fight.

Luke was flying as Rogue Five for the first time since the Rebellion.

Years seemed to slip away from him as he instinctively raised his right arm to a switch near the canopy that locked his S-foils in attack position, his eyes flicking over his instrument display, checking his shields, quad lasers, proton torpedoes and targeting systems.

"Artoo, shields at 100, sensors at full."

The astromech tooted affirmatively.

Luke smiled at the odd nostalgia of it all, then abruptly flipped into a barrel roll to avoid a stream of laser fire. He cringed, muttering to himself, "Probably not the best time to reminisce…"

Wedge's voice cut through his thoughts on the squadron tactical frequency, "Rogue Leader here. You'll be glad to hear we've got the Imp Class Destroyer. Flight one, you're with me, Flight two, Shape up on Lieutenant Darklighter."

Luke unconsciously slipped into wing position behind Wedge, focusing all his energies on the battle raging around them.

The TIE's they were up against weren't of the same caliber of those he'd faced at the height of the Rebellion. The Remnant pilots were much younger and less experienced then those he faced years earlier.

Three lined up in attack formation on Wedge and Luke. The colonel flipped effortlessly into a portside roll and took out the first, and Luke almost felt guilty as he easily picked off the remaining two with a few quick bursts of his quad lasers.

Luke followed Wedge through the thick of the dogfight, picking off TIE's as they went, but focusing on their objective looming ominously above _The Star of Naboo_.

_The Star_ had already taken heavy fire from the Imperial battleships. Although the rogues and the _star's_ own squadron of starfighters, a mix of B-Wing and X-wings, had succeeded in evening up the odds against the TIE's which had originally outnumbered them 3 to 1, the punishing bombardment from the Imperial Capital ships had almost taken out the _Star's_ forward shields.

If they couldn't do some damage to the Remnant's Star Destroyers, _the Star of Naboo_ was done for.

"Okay Rogues, _the Star's_ sensors report the Imp. Class has sustained significant damage to the aft shields. Apparently a few TIE's came to grief on their own tractor beams. Flight two, take a run over the main aft ion batteries and keep them occupied. Flight one, we'll see how the shields are holding."

Luke double clicked his comm in recognition and kept on Wedge's port wing as they headed in tight over the monolithic grey battleship.

It had been a few years since luke had a legitimate reason to do a flyby of the control tower of a Star Destroyer and he couldn't hold back a smile as he followed Wedge around and over the ship. When they shot past the control tower, he was flying so close that the Destroyer's shields cracked with streaks of blue energy as they brushed against the shields of his X-wing and he saw figure jump back from the forward viewing windows.

Artoo whistled depreciatively, informing him that his shields were already down to 70 and that he should behave himself.

Luke sighed, "Artoo, you always were one to worry…"

It appeared Wedge agreed, although his smile was evident through his voice, "Five, behave yourself."

Luke grinned, "Copy that sir!"

The Jedi had no desire to prove his abilities or show off so he settled into playing the responsible wingman, supporting Wedge, picking of TIE's and forewarning him of unexpected laser bolts as they made their run over the area of supposedly weakened shields.

Artoo tootled over his comm, informing Luke that he had a shield malfunction and they were now holding at just 40, despite the fact that they had not taken any direct hits.

Luke frowned, but he hadn't been hit directly since his very first missions flying with the rogues, so he felt he was safe enough with 40.

"Okay artoo, let me know if they look like they're gonna slip anymore."

The doid gave a long suffering beep.

There was a flash of brilliant white-blue light as Flight two successfully took out the main aft ion batteries, and a flickering of the shield energy through the force let Luke know that the aft shields had failed.

"Aft shields are down leader."

Wedge's proton torpedoes were away even as he replied, "Copy that five. You're quicker than my sensors. Take your shot and let's get clear."

Luke double clicked, then let two of his torpedoes go, using the force to guide his aim rather than his automated targeting system to get them to a particularly weak spot.

He peeled off behind Wedge awaiting the explosion that his and Wedge's torpedoes were going to cause.

Artoo beeped loudly, and Luke's X-wing's sublight engines stalled for a second. He glanced at Artoo's display screen. They had no shields. The sublight engines were rapidly loosing power. Even the Hyperdive seemed to be malfunctioning. "Sith!"

Anxiously Luke flicked on his comm, but his voice came out Jedi-calm, just. "This is Rogue Five. I've got some major malfunctions. Shields are at zero. Sublights are 40 op., quad laser's aren't responding. Hyperdrive's fluctuating."

He coaxed his X-wing away from the Imperial Class Destroyer, very much aware that it was due to go nova any second now and he had exactly zero shielding.

Wedge flipped his X-wing around in a tight loop and attached himself to Luke's wing, "Okay Five, I'll take you in. Try not to hit anything on the way." His voice was devoid of humor, despite the vain attempt to joke.

Luke was well aware of the stats for fighters in the midst of battle that had lost their shields, let alone the rest of the malfunctions his apparently possessed X-wing was now suffering from.

He sensed Wedge raising his shields to help protect luke from the energy wash out as behind them the aft portion of the massive Imperial Class Destroyer imploded in a brilliant fire ball.

Suddenly a trio of TIE's swooped down in front of him. Luke swiftly cut up to dodge their streams of laser bolts, but the wash out from the Detonating Destroyer behind Wedge shoved his fighter violently into the path of a short blast of red laser fire.

Luke's danger sense flared and he lifted his left hand, unthinkingly using the force to flick the laser bolts away.

He'd never attempted to deflect such powerful laser fire by hand before though, and it didn't quite go off course enough.

Part of beam caught the front aft side of his defenseless X-Wing, burning a molten blackened path up and over the reinforced transperisteel canopy which was burnt black as it melted into the fighter's body. Effectively blinding Luke. The rest of the laser beam caught the wings full on, ripping them clear from his ship. The concussion of the unshielded hit shoved Luke forward and down. His harness half gave way letting his face smash into the flashing instrument panel, and his feet were crushed against the molten metal of the ships etheric rudder pedals. Pain arced through his body.

The X-wing flipped into a dizzying spin trailing thick black smoke, Artoo tootling desperately behind luke as he tried to get the life systems operational again.

Luke heard Wedge yelling out over his comm "Luke! Luke! Acknowledge!"

The young Jedi glanced at his controls, swiftly assessing the situation.

_/Sith._/

He dimly noticed his blood was streaming out before his face in zero G, little spheres and bubbles of it forming a trail across the cockpit.

He tried to use his right arm to engage his oxygen mask only to find his artificial arm crushed and useless. His left arm slowly reached up, only to find the mask and helmet had been ripped from his head during the explosion. His head was numb and ringing, he wasn't surprised he hadn't felt the mask go. It was now somewhere behind him, unreachable.

_/I should be dead…/_

The lights on his instrument panel flickered on, then off, then on again.

Artoo's display screen flashed a warning, the impact of the laser hit had activated the malfunctioning Hyperdrive.

His brain foggy with pain and confusion, luke decided his best plan of action.

He double clicked his comm, letting the Rogues know he was alive, then as the air in his X-wing started grow stale as the basic life support systems failed, he put himself into a hibernation trance.

"Artoo, disengage.. Hyperdrive.."

_/here's hoping this ship doesn't explode before they can come fish me out…/_

He didn't notice his droids silence.

Wedge watched in dismay as his friend's ship was torn into pieces by the combination of energy wash-out from the dying Imperial Class Star Destroyer and the TIE's laser fire.

Luke had somehow used his Jedi powers to deflect the laser beams away from him, but one had still caught the side of his unshielded ship.

The Rogue Squadron Colonel could only watch as Luke's cockpit was scorched and burnt black as his aft wing was torn clean off and his remaining sublight engine died.

Wedge followed Luke's ship as it entered a dizzying uncontrolled spin, spitting fuel and debris into the vacuum of space, along with the tell-tale white frozen mist of escaping oxygen.

_/No. no. no! Not Luke/_

Wedge was only half aware of his near hysterical voice screaming out Luke's name over the comm.

He'd seen enough battles to know a doomed pilot when he saw a ship go down.

And Luke Skywalker was as good as dead.

He glanced around his forward viewscreen. Noting that most of Rogue squadron were either beside him, watching helplessly as Luke's ship died, or picking off TIE's that thought to make a cowardly kill out of the doomed X-wing.

It was obvious that the Rogues had figured out who was piloting Five. Even though Luke had been flying anonymously, and far more sedately then usual, (apart from the little incident with the control tower on the Imp. Class Destroyer), compared to your average X-wing pilot, his sense of timing and uncanny skill in the cockpit made him stand out. Even when he was trying to play the respectable wingman. It helped that most of Rogue Squadron had flown with him before of course. He'd even trained a few of them. They would have recognised him and Artoo the moment they'd joined the fray. Waiting until the last possible second to perform a seemingly impossibly fast barrel roll to avoid a stream of laser he shouldn't have been able to see coming was pure Skywalker. He'd probably done it daydreaming.

But it looked like even Luke Skywalker's luck ran out eventually. There was no way he'd survived that explosion.

Quite unexpectedly Wedge heard a double click over his comm. He glanced down at his lower comm display screen. It was Rogue Five.

Luke was alive. Somehow. _./ha! Jedi Luck! I'd forgotten about that.../_

Wedge remembered all the times he'd grilled Luke about just being lucky, Luke had always smiled slyly and replied, _"In my experience, there's no such thing as luck.."_

Wedge was pulled from his recollections by a suddenly burst of light. Luke's X-wing seemingly exploded and jumped into Hyperspace and the same impossible instant.

Wedge belatedly remembered Luke's run down of malfunctions, _"…Hyperdrive's fluctuating…"_

"Oh no."

_/'in my experience there's no such thing as luck..' Maybe Luke was right all along…He's injured, stuck in a starfighter that's leaking oxygen and probably not in the least operational, and making uncharted hyperspace jumps. He's a goner. Not even a Jedi could survive those odds./_

Wedge blinked slowly then forced himself to return his focus to the battle at hand. But it was apparently already ending in the NR's favour. The Imperial Class Destroyer was slowly and spectacularly exploding behind him, one of the Victory class Destroyers had already been reduced to a black burning hulk, spinning slowly in space and spewing debris and corpses into the vacuum, and the remaining ships were collecting their TIE's and running. Directly in front of him _The Star of Naboo_ was looking a battle scarred and singed around the edges but mostly intact, sending blasts of laser fire at the retreating ships.

Wedge didn't care.

Lieutenant Gavin Darklighter's young voice came over the comm, "That was Skywalker in Five wasn't it Colonel?"

Wedge felt tears prick behind his tears but his voice when he responded was steady, "Affirmative Lieutenant. Commander Skywalker was piloting Rogue Five. Now, let's round up the last of those TIE's."


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

_Present Day_

_Hyperspace, somewhere in the Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

The Force.

It had been so long since she had reached for it. She had become accustomed to its silence. Afterall, it was only through her Master that she had been able to touch it. It had been his gift to her, and with him gone, her gift had faded to occasional flickers and moments of clarity. Good Luck, that was all she had left..

But now it was screaming at her. Consuming her in it irrepressible brilliance.

It filled her senses, blocking out the physical world. She could only _feel_. The life forces of the crew around her glowed warmly, the distant stars of the galaxy all adding to the flickering kaleidoscope of energy she saw surrounding her.

She was bombarded with images, reflections of the Force, flickering past her mind's eye before she could register them.

She had experienced Visions before, the Emperor had on occasion guided her in meditations, usually to seek out force sensitives or potential Jedi to destroy, but those dreams were the dim reflections of a distant star compared to the vast throbbing supernova that surrounded her senses now.

She saw the infinite expanse of deep space. The silent progression of stars and planets through the eons. Civilizations and alien races rising and falling. The birth of mankind on a world now long broken. She saw great wars that spanned the galaxy. Armies of Sith facing armies of Jedi millennia ago. Just as her master had told her. Pain, death and gore spanning eons as the force looked for one to bring balance to the universe. Somehow she knew all she saw to be true.

She saw the Jedi Council born on a lush forested planet she knew to be Coruscant before the towers and skyhooks. The Old Republic rose and flashed past in an instant, its often-corrupt senate bringing moments of peace to the Galaxy. Then she recognised figures from her past.

The Emperor as a young politician addressing a crowd by a lake on his homeworld of Naboo. A tiny desert-slave-child in awe of a queen…A tall wise Jedi and his apprentice… a hideously tatooed Sith… A young Jedi teasing his Master. The Clone Wars. Separatists. The young Jedi's arm hacked off by a sith lord. The Jedi and queen married in shadows. Palpatine betrayed by a Korun Jedi but saved by the young Jedi…_ Vader! _. The birth of the Empire and the imperial peace. The fall of Jedi Temple… the death of the jedi children at the hand of Vader. His Jedi master leaving him burning alive in a river of lava. The young queen crying, swollen with child. The Emperor saving Vader. The destruction of the Jedi. The death of the queen.

Mara wondered vaguely what Vader's wife would have thought of Obi-Wan delivering her children had she known the hideous fate he had left their father to on the burning planet.

Dimly she was aware of Aves watching her with concern on the bridge of the _Lucky Karrde_, but she could not move or speak, she was locked in her vision of the past. The images sped up, sometimes she did not even know what she saw, only gauged fleeting emotions.

She saw Imperials she had worked with. Agents she had trained with. Targets she had eliminated. Her Master. The destruction of Alderaan. The death of Obi-wan Kenobi. The destruction of the Death Star. Vader taking Skywalker's arm on Bespin. The would-be jedi choosing death over his father. Her own reflection, Mara Jade, dressed as a dancer, crouched in the shadows of Jabba's palace. An alien Jedi Master instructing Luke Skywalker from his death bed.

Endor.

Dread filled Mara, she did not want to see Endor. She did not want to watch her Master fall. She had experienced that vision too many times. Vainly she tried to pull away, but the memories of the Force continued to flash within her mind.

Skywalker, no longer an innocent desert-child in white, now a Jedi in black walking serenely to his death. Battling with his Vader, besting him, rejecting her Master. The young jedi dying at the hands of her suddenly cruel master, force lightening wracking his slight frame. Vader motionless as the jedi cried out to him. Vader throwing the Emperor into the reactor core. Her Master frantically sending her his vision as he dispersed into the dark side in violent death. The funeral pyre of Darth Vader. Luke Skywalker _cying_ for him. The laughing rebels. The joyous celebrations across the Galaxy on the death of her Master. Ysanne Isard locking her in a cell. The Jedi Skywalker, older, alone in meditation in a jungle. The rebel Princess and her smuggler husband much older, flanked by three jedi children. Herself, smiling, a lightsaber on her hip and a child in her arms. _a Jedi? NO! _

She knew the vision would continue, would show her things she could not bear to see, so she tore away again, this time with _all_ her strength.

Mara fell to her knees on the cold metal floor of the bridge. Her hands flew to her temples, her eyes squeezed shut and she let out an agonised groan. It had lasted only seconds. It felt like hours.

The crew stared at her in shock for a moment, stunned, then Aves was at her side, taking her arm. To his amazement she wilted in his grasp, seemingly in a faint.

/"YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER"/ 

The face of her Master filled her mind, his deafening command blocking out all other thoughts.

Mara groaned in agony as his presence sought out the corners of her confused, weakened mind and screamed his anger at her failure. She murmured weakly, unaware that she spoke aloud, "..no.. you are dead.."

_/"…KILL LUKE SKYWALKER!"/_

Instinctively she reached out to the force that she had just shunned, trying to push away her pain, to push away the Dead Emperor's echoing hatred, and she found it.

A tiny flicker, but conjured of her own skill, not her master's. Soft and white it seemed. Without thought or hesitation she immersed herself in it.

The voice faded. The throbbing stopped.

Silence.

There were no more disturbing visions.

She felt her memories of the vision fading until all that remained were vague images and impressions. Jedi. Sith. War. Death.

Mara let herself drift in the silence. In glorious nothingness. She had no form. Mara Jade existed in this place as only a spirit, a presence in the Force.

She felt at peace for the first time in her life.

Then she realised she was not alone.

She felt a light beside her. It filled her spirit with warmth. She didn't know what or who it was, but she didn't care, loosing herself in the Force was too peaceful for anything to worry her.

Then she felt a tentative, gentle pressure against the shields of her mind. It felt so unlike the harsh probing of the emperor, the only other who had ever sought to enter her mind with the Force, that Mara thoughtlessly allowed it into her consciousness.

It did not probe further instead a soft, weak, man's voice floated towards her. _/please…./_

Mara's force presence was surprised and wary, instantly suspicious, but at the same time curious, _/is it actually a person/_

She felt a weak smile_ / last time I checked.. although I'm not sure for how much longer../_

Mara was definitely interested now. The presence was familiar. And it seemed weakened. She was wary, but her danger sense did not flare, so she felt mostly reassured. Her grogginess lifted slightly.

She became more aware of her surroundings, she could feel a ship's cold metal deck beneath her again and knew she would awaken from her force trance soon.

_/no.. please.. don't go/_

The voice was fading, and for some reason, the thought of not hearing it anymore upset Mara, _/…I can't hear you…/_

The voice was weaker still _/I have been floating out here for.. forever it seems… I don't know how long… please…i am .. tired... help me…/_

The voice seemed guardedly hopeful.

Mara found herself agreeing_ /yes. I will help you../_

_/thank you mara jade/_

She wasn't overly surprised to realise _he_ knew her name. She sensed him careful pressing against her shields. Suddenly her suspicion doubled.

_/no, I don't want to …break your shields../ _the voice was so soft now Mara could barely make it out. She could hear Aves calling name however.

_/ if I can help you, you'd better explain how quickly./_

The presence pressed against her shields once more, then apparently gave up.

Mara waited.

_/come. this will be easier.. I'll… just show you…/_ She got the impression of exhaustion from the man's presence.

His warm light was pulling at her, she was afraid for a moment, the presence was so bright it scared her, but it was irresistible. She let herself reach out slowly and guardedly towards it.

She reached out her fingers, dimly aware in the corner of her mind that in this place she had no fingers, and felt a delicious heat envelope her hands. Then what felt like the callused hands of a man took hold of her arms. Realising it was his force presence, she stepped towards him fearlessly, slipping easily into his arms. Then she was immersed in it. Joy and pleasure rang out in her very soul. The light of the force that was a part of this man surrounded her, caressing her. A word flicked across her consciousness, _/jedi../_

Some distant part of her was outraged at her apparent easy acceptance of one of the cursed jedi, but it was swiftly silenced by what felt like the man's warm breath on her shoulder and his whisper in her ear.

_/yes. Jedi… Like you/_

Mara's head seemed to fit against his body perfectly, even if it was not really his body she was leaning against. His words did not anger her as they should of. Her mind was filled with the peaceful light of him and the force and her thoughts were again unclear and muddled.

On Karrde's bridge Mara Jade's body froze suddenly in Aves arms and she gasped. A brilliant smile spread across her face, proving to her crewmembers beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was undoubtedly dying. Mara Jade _smiling!_

Surrounded by the Jedi's brilliant force presence, warming her and sending every single one of her nerve endings on fire, Mara instinctively reached toward him, wishing to be even closer, deeper in this glorious feeling and felt him do the same. She knew that they had, for a moment sunk into each other creating one being in the force. The feeling was indescribably perfect. _/Better than any drug available in the Known Regions./_ she sluggishly thought.

Mara could feel the man that surrounded her carefully keeping their minds separate, so as not to intrude upon her. She wondered how it would feel to truly let their force presence's blur into one._/I bet it's even better…/_

She knew if she so desired she could reach out around her and sift through all of his thoughts and memories, but was touched, and a little surprised that he was making no such intrusions upon her. She was tempted to look into his thoughts, but restrained herself.

His voice was still weak, but it was clearer as if it was still whispering in her ear_ / mara jade. I don't have much time…/_ She quickly remembered that there had been an actual purpose to all this at some point. Slightly embarrassed she pulled away from him slightly.

_/show me what you want to do/_

She felt a nod.

_/this…/_

The man pulled her into his consciousness. Mara, for once in her life trusting a stranger, did not resist.

She was in a cockpit. Or rather… he was in a cockpit.

_/let's say **we** are in a cockpit../_

A T-65 X-Wing cockpit. One that had seen a lot of action, one that was disabled. The dead instrument panels were splattered with dried blood. The canopy was blackened and melted from a _very_ close laser blast. The air was stale. The life support systems had obviously failed some time ago.

_Their_ body was cold, as if in death. She/he could not move.

Panic rose in Mara, _/You are dead/_

She tried frantically to pull away, but his gentle presence was as solid as duracrete.

Her body flailed about, pushing at him as she screamed out in her mind at him, ._/What are you! Some sort of monster! I trusted you JEDI!…What now! Am I going to be stuck here in this tin can with you forever/_

She felt a warm sensation, as if the man had pressed a finger to her lips._ ./I am neither dead or a monster... …. I am in a hibernation trance… I **will** die soon... Without your help…/_ He paused, Mara felt something like guilt. _/ if I do die…you will simply return to your own form… I would never have brought you into any danger…/_

_/oh./_

Mara was unsure of what to say. _/ so… Where are we/_

He said some co-ordinates which were not particularly familiar to Mara. _/I will try and pick you up, but, I don't know how long it will take me to find you../_

Sadness filled her at the thought of the man dying.

_/you are right beside me../_

_/yes, in the force I am, but in reality/_

_/your ship is passing mine in Hyperspace…/_

Relief filled her at his words.

_/Oh. Well, I'd best get back to my body. I **sense** my butt has grown quite numb on the floor…/_

He seemed a little put of at her sudden joke. His response was tentatively sarcastic, but his voice very faint and weak/_thank you…. Your selfless sacrifice of… comfort… on my behalf is duly noted…/_

Mara was regaining her usual caustic wit as she returned to consciousness, _/don't push me jedi. I could just leave you here you know…/_

_/I meant …the thank-you…./_

Mara's voice softened slightly at the pain and weakness in his response, _/Yes, you can reimburse me when you are conscious again…./_

_/I will …repay you …for your kindness./ _His voice was fading away to almost nothing. _/You should go… To pull me from the trance just… tell me to wake up…Thank-you…./_

She felt his gratitude surge towards her through the force.

Mara let herself rise fully to consciousness, wincing as her force presence separated from the Jedi with a sharp ripping sensation. She sensed him react in similar pain. She noted his light was dimmer than before.

The cold cockpit of the damaged X-wing faded from around her.

Mara Jade leapt to her feet, apparently completely back to normal. She turned to Aves, "Drop the ship out of Hyperspace immediately!"

Aves, and all others on the bridge, started at her.

She glared her patented 'Mara Jade, Bad-Ass Privateer' glare.

"NOW!"

Aves winced, "Mara! We can't just drop out of hyperspace in the middle of nowhere! You know that!… now… are you alright?"

Mara walked over to the banks of consoles and without hesitation, pulled back the Hyperspace lever.

"MARA!"

Aves and the crew all screamed at her in fear and anger as the large freighter lurched sickeningly back into real space, thankfully avoiding colliding with anything.

Mara ignored them, trusting their fear of her and Captain Karrde would stop the more violent crew members on the bridge from aiming a blaster at her head.

Directly in front of the ship was a stranded New Republic X-Wing. Or, Half of one to be precise.

Mara smirked.

A moment later, Karrde appeared on the bridge, out of breath, a datacard clasped in his hand "What's going on!"

Aves gestured wildly at Mara, "She just pulled us out of Hyperspace!"

Karrde's eyes widened, "You WHAT?"

Mara Jade turned coolly towards him. "I would have informed you Captain, however, there was no time." She gestured towards the silent ship before them. "There is a man in there. I have a feeling he will be _most grateful _of our timely intervention. I imagine a large stack of credits await his rescuers."

Karrde glared at his First Mate about to let her know exactly what he thought of her recklessness and disrespect, pile of credits or no,when he glanced through the main display and froze. Instantly he recognized it as an NR X-wing, and with the information from his datapad still fresh in his mind, quickly noticed the identification markings on the small wrecked fighter. He spun to one of his officers, "Enlarge the main display view screen! Focus in on that X-wing!"

Dimly Karrde thought to himself _/Well, Mara's definitely got some Force potential to pull us randomly out of Hyperspace so confidently.../_ He shuddered slightly at the thought of the odds for reverting from Hyperspace blind and living.

Dutifully the heavily armed Twi-lek, missing a leku and an arm, who was posted at the visual display console zoomed in the sensor array on the fighter, or what was left of it. Karrde's mouth opened and closed. Most of the crewmembers exclaimed in surprise, instantly recognising the markings of a Rogue Squadron Fighter over the long nose of the scorched cockpit. The Twi-lek laughed morbidly, obviously thrilled at the thought of a having an injured Rouge Squadron pilot at the Captain's mercy. Mainly of them were New Republic Celebrities_. /Wedge Antilles, Corran Horn….Luke Skywalker…/_

Captain Karrde glanced down at his datapad, scrolling through a few pages of information., then swiftly turned to Aves, his eyes wide, "Bring that ship in NOW!"

Mara smiled, a Rogue Squadron pilot would undoubtedly have some solid New Republic credit backing him up. "I'm glad you've seen the light Captain."

The smuggler turned to look in complete bewilderment at his second. "Jade. How in the Nine Corellian Hells did you find _Luke Skywalker_!"


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Present Day 

_In orbit of Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

_The Millenium Falcon – Modified YT-1300 Corellian Freighter_

Han Solo was pissed off.

This in itself was not a particularly rare emotion for the volatile Corellian, but then again, his first mate Chewbacca reflected sagely from his co-pilots seat, they had not run into such bad luck since the early days of the Rebellion.

Han slammed his fists down against the consoles in the cockpit of the _falcon_ with unnecessary force and let out a steady, if somewhat repetitive, stream of the foulest Corellian curses in existence, most of which involved the mother of the _Falcon_ procreating with an assortment of unpleasant non-sentient life forms.

The _Millennium Falcon_ was currently floating helplessly in a particularly distant corner of the Outer Rim. Again, not an unusual situation for Han Solo or Chewbacca, however, not only was there a mysterious fault with their Hyperdrive, all their communications were out along with half of the life support and navigation systems.

In short, the 'fastest ship in the galaxy' was currently capable of only morse code via the running lights.

Which would have come in handy perhaps, had there been someone to see them.

There wasn't.

Noticing Han had for some mysterious reason known only to himself, taken off a boot to viciously attack the Nav computer display with, Chewbacca, although he could appreciate his friends actions, (he was a wookie after all), decided the time had come to intervene. He reached over and effortlessly tore the offending 'weapon' from his best friend throwing in a deafening growl for good measure

Han glared at him, his eyes narrowing. He held the stare as he yanked off his other boot then continued his assault.

Chewie let out his patented long suffering Solo-induced sigh.

He observed his friend for a moment then whacked him soundly with other the boot on the back of the head.

Han spun to face him, his hand massaging his head. "Hey! What'd you do that for?"

The wookie growled and did it again.

"HEY! Cut that out already!"

Han swung his remaining boot in retaliation, and for a few minutes they fought a sort of saber-duel, armed with Han's tall leather boots.

Eventually chewie grew bored and swiftly disarmed his friend.

He then rumbled what had become his favorite insult for Han since the rebellion, _"Nerf-herder"._

Han glared daggers at him, seemingly on the verge of punching him, but then instead resumed slamming his clenched fists against the Nav computer. He _hated_ it when chewie used Leia's insult/endearment on him.

The wookie snickered.

Chewbacca waited, expecting Han to pull his blaster on the ships controls or something similar, but the smuggler soon gave up and sat back, shaking his stinging hands and blowing on them. Then he crossed his arms, bringing his mis-matched socks to rest on the controls in a sulk, muttering angrily to himself about traitorous Wookies and the shoddy workmanship of New Republic Hyperdrive mechanics on Coruscant,

Chewbacca assumed his co-pilot's fit of anger was under control for the moment.

He gestured at the dreary looking little planet they were orbiting and woofed _"We'll have to put down there and either fix the ship or com your life-mate for help."_

Han sighed, "Yeah yeah… I guess…" _/I said we'd be back almost a week ago.. and here we are, stranded in the Outer Rim….Won't her highnessness be impressed…/_

He frowned, mortified at the thought of needing to com his wife to come rescue him. He was a Corellian! A scoundrel! An infamous smuggler the galaxy wide!… He didn't need his wife to come and bail him out…It just wasn't right…

Chewie carefully pointed the ship at what the half-functioning sensors detected as a space port of some description and Han sighed with melodrama only a Solo could perfect.

He glumly took in the vague limited information they had on the planet they were headed for. _/Dalhir.. there's something familiar about this planet….'Fraali Galactic Spaceport'... Dalhir… Have I been here before?.. No. My memory isn't that bad.. must of heard about it from someone I guess…/_

_Hyperspace, somewhere in the Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought _

_(Forward Docking Bay)_

Talon Karrde adjusted his broad be-feathered Old Republic Admiral's hat minutely, and brushed invisible lint off his Kuati Velvet Captain's Jacket with manicured fingers, noting the golden trim of the garment with pleasure, _/This Jacket it so impressive…/._ The gold filigree handgrips of his customised DC-74 Dueling Blasters gleamed were they crossed his hips. He buffed a fingerprint off his right hand one with the delicate Naboo lace of his dress shirt's cuff.

Despite this slightly unseemly display of vanity, his outward countenance remained bland and stern. Inwardly he was grinning like a school-girl, very pleased with himself,_ /I look fabulous/._

He knew it was unlikely that Skywalker would be conscious, but he was Captain Talon Karrde, and he needed to maintain his image as a Cultured Debonair Privateer Extrordinaire.

Mara Jade glanced at him and snorted softly to herself. He froze, mortified, _ /I wasn't thinking out loud again was I/_

He looked at his second in command where she stood stony faced beside him in a corner of the docking hold and shuttle hanger of the_ Lucky Karrde. _It was obvious that she had not taken the time to refresh her appearance en route from the Bridge. She still wore her tight leather cat suit. True, combined with her mane of wild hair and the Old Republic Lieutenant's Dress Jacket Karrde had given her she looked impressive, but if he didn't know about her hold out blaster, he'd have thought she was _unarmed_. _/An unarmed Privateer! It's just not done./_

Not far across the flat expanse of durasteel before them, the battered remains of a NR Rogue Squadron X-wing sat dejectedly.

It was a miracle that anyone could possibly be alive in the tiny wrecked star-fighter. Except perhaps the R2 astromech unit perched behind the cockpit. It was twittering loudly, it's lights flashing in apparent concern.

Mara Jade seemed decidedly unimpressed with this fact however, and was making no effort to come closer or help Karrde's crew open the blackened canopy of the fighter.

Talon frowned inwardly. Suddenly, he had a very bad feeling about this.

Mara was rooted to the spot.

A battle was taking place inside her.

Part of her, most of her, wanted to run up to Skywalker's X-wing and finish him with her blaster.

But she couldn't bring herself to do it.

The rest of Mara wanted to run over and rush the jedi to the med bay as fast as possibly.

Since she was in two minds, she did what any rational woman would do, nothing.

Karrde's crew where using precision laser cutters to get through the scarred and blackened fastenings on the fighter's transparasteel canopy. With the bright light the sparking tools cast on the glass, she could make out the figure of the Jedi hanging motionless from a broken harness in his seat.

She wondered if perhaps he had died.

Her heart clenched in a nauseating mix of fear and joy and she unthinkingly reached out with the force to probe for his presence, to reassure herself.

The moment she opened herself up to it she felt the blinding glow that was Luke Skywalker's presence immediately . She gasped. It was like a beacon. A shining flame of light against the darkness of the universe. _/Was it always this strong?.. This bright/_

Even the Emperor's presence in the force seemed weak in comparison, _/but he was more like a black hole than a star…/_. Luke's presence was pulling at her like a magnet. She briefly wondered if the Emperor's jealously of the young jedi's powers had been the true reason behind her mission to assassinate him. She also wondered what Anakin Skywalker, Obi-wan Kenobi and Yoda had felt like in the Force. Her master had spoken of those three Jedi on occasion. The most powerful of the Jedi he had called them, (but still pitifully weak in comparison to himself and Vader of course).

Mara realised that she'd never actually felt a Jedi in the Force. They'd all been dead by the time she started active duty for her master, all save Kenobi and Yoda, and she had never met them. She had no idea how strong the average Jedi was.

A gentle tired sounding voice echoed softly in her mind, _/mara jade/_

The Jedi, Luke Skywalker, (How had she not figured that out herself? Jedi in an X-wing? Who else could it have _possibly_ been?), reached towards her, seeking to thank her, but Mara quickly withdrew and slammed down her shields as the Emperor had taught her. Before she cut herself of from the force again, she sensed his disappointment and confusion at her reaction.

Mara sneered inwardly. _/Traitorous Jedi. He doesn't have a clue what's coming/_

Luke was confused.

Exhausted, unconscious, seriously injured, very very hungry… and confused.

He was also intensely curious about the woman that had helped him. Saved him.

Her abrupt rejection of his telepathic communication had startled him.

_/Mara Jade/_

He couldn't explain how he knew her name.. he hadn't looked into her mind, though he could have if he had wanted… _/I must have picked it up accidentally… or perhaps the force told me/_

The Force.

Whoever Mara Jade was, she was very strong in the force. He had thought perhaps she was an old republic jedi that had survived the purges, but she seemed to be a young woman. Perhaps she was the child of a jedi, like him or Corran Horn.

He was for the moment, too far gone into his trance and general exhaustion and pain to ponder the mystery that was mara jade at the moment. He would find out who she was when he came to. For now he wanted to slip into a deeper healing trance.

Mara couldn't help but stare as the canopy of the X-wing was forcibly removed, revealing the shattered instrument consoles and the perfectly still figure of Luke Skywalker.

She took in his bloodied face with a few days growth of stubble, the awkward twist of his arm, and the ashen paleness of his skin in a second. There was a gaping tear in his tunic were his targeting system had slammed back into him.

Apart from the injuries, he looked almost the same as the last time she had seen him. Four years previously.

His hair, despite being bloodied, was a golden blonde framing his handsome, youthful face like a halo. The cut of his Jedi blacks showed his trim figure despite the interference of the restraints. She wondered why he wasn't wearing a flight suit. _/He must have flown into battle unexpectedly…/ _ Her eyes flicked once again to his face, noting his full bloodied lips were parted slightly. She wondered what they tasted like…

She found the urge to rush to his side and awaken him once again rising. Her conflicting emotions were tearing her apart inside. For once she was unsure about her course of action. Unsure if the Jedi deserved death at her hand or not. _/his eyes.. I need to see them…/_ Some irrational part of her was sure if she looked into the blue eyes of Luke Skywalker, she would know the truth. She would know what to do…She closed her eyes, blocking him from her vision.

_/No! he is my enemy/_

Having gotten her traitorous thoughts under control, she opened her eyes and scanned the crowd.

The crew were all staring in silent awe at the former 'Rogue Squadron Commander', the 'savior of the galaxy', the 'last of the Jedi'… The great _Luke Skywalker_

_/blah blah blah../._

Mara rolled her eyes. _/idiots./_

Even Captain Karrde was staring transfixed. He looked rather amusing in his huge hat with it's lurid feathers, his mouth hanging open.

She strode over the hangar bay floor. "You there! Quit your gawking and do you job! He's just a man you drooling imbeciles!"

Around her people snapped out of their reveries. Many glared and cursed at her under their breath. Mara was unconcerned, the crew of the _Lucky Karrde_ were meant to be hardened Privateers and smugglers. They _should_ glare and curse, it was in the job description.

Mara herself was just careful not to let her gaze fall upon the Jedi again. She was too confused.

One of the deck crew, a handy combination of mechanic and explosives expert, asked out loud what everyone had been thinking, "Is he dead?"

Talon sighed, the last thing he needed was a dead Luke Skywalker on his hands… He'd be crucified! Apparently The Chief of State was his twin sister for sithsake!

Mara shook her head, turning to her boss, "Nope, there will be no orders of public execution from Organa-Solo. He's in a jedi trance. He'll need attention to survive though." She motioned to the medic officers who were hovering nearby, "Well? Get to it scumbags! I don't want a dead jedi on my hands anymore than Captain Karrde does!". She cuffed the man on the head for good measure.

Karrde's mouth opened and closed a few time_ /She's reading my mind now/_

Jade froze. As if she'd heard his thoughts. (again) Then swiftly turned on her booted heel and headed out of the hanger, avoiding Talon's questioning gaze, and leaving the medics to deal with Skywalker.

Karrde watched the door she vanished through close.

_/Force Sensitive, Definitely. Jedi, unlikely./_

_Hyperspace, somewhere in the Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

Mara stared blindly at her datapad.

It was 03:47 hours.

She had had not been able to sleep properly since _he_ had come on board. Dreams and force visions plagued her in sleep.

It had been 3 days in hyperspace since they had picked up Skywalker.

Karrde was planning to either ransom him to his sister and the NR, or hand him over to the Empire and collect the massive bounty on him.

_/If the Empire can even afford to pay the bounty anymore../_

The dreams which Mara had been suffering from were reflections of the intense force vision she had experienced 4 days earlier, just before she had _found_ Skywalker. The only marked difference was Luke Skywalker's ever increasing presence in them. She would see him writhing in pain at her Master's feet, force lightening wrapping around his slender form, or defying Darth Vader and her heart ached for him. She would awaken in a cold sweat, panting, with no real recollection of what her dream had been about, but with the image of Skywalker's blue eyes piercing her very soul.

It was ridiculous! She had never even had a proper conversation with the man, and she had certainly never 'gazed into his eyes', so how could she possibly know their exact shade? And why did she find herself believing this new version of her Master's death? Perhaps her force abilities truly were back and running, she wondered if the Jedi had anything to do with it. Perhaps she could only use the force when she was in close proximately to a person strong in the force. _/ Maybe I'll some sort of force parasite…Maybe I believe this new version because Skywalker is influencing me…/_

The thought disturbed her.

Skywalker himself was in a stable condition in the med bay, blissfully unaware of the dilemma and pain his very presence was causing Mara.

Mara had not been to see him.

The medics had patched him up, gushing in awe to all who cared to listen (the entire crew) that the Jedi healed at an incredible rate and would be fully healed from the brink of death in a few days. They were at a loss to explain his continuing unconsciousness however. They assumed he would wake from his 'jedi trance' when he was fully healed. They imagined he would be rather hungry.

There was a growing number amongst the crew whose respect and admiration for the young Jedi approached that of a fan club. They sat in a large group during meals, telling each other outrageously overblown 'true stories' about their hero. Mara grudgingly admitted there was _some_ truth to the stories, she knew he'd been the one to fire the missiles that took down the first death star, but she doubted very much that he'd done so without his missile guidance targeting computer enabled.

And he _did_ found Rogue Squadron…_/not that founding that mob of riff-raff is something to brag about…/_

And she had _seen_ him kill Jabba the Hutt's rancor, (but that had been luck!). But he had certainly never destroyed an AT-AT ground-walker armed with only his bare hands and a lightsaber in the middle of a Hoth blizzard!

Or brought his sister back from the dead with the aid of a magic crystal after a duel with Darth Vader!

Some of the stories they were telling were so preposterous she wondered at the sanity and intelligence of Karrde's crew. _/Huh! Magic Crytals! That's almost as good as the one about Obi-wan Kenobi's ghost/_

Mara however, hadn't shown any further interest in their prisoner, which had the opposite effect to that which she desired. The entire crew was convinced that_ she_ was some sort of jedi or psychic and that she obviously knew Luke Skywalker. With her returning, somewhat uncontrolled force skills, she picked up on a lot of the crew's thoughts concerning her (and other things…) accidentally. They were all growing suspicious of her.

Some thought she was a rogue jedi and would undoubtedly betray them to free Skywalker. Certain members of his fan club (who were mostly female incidentally) were convinced she was an evil sith who was going to try and kill him, whilst others were simply afraid because they did not understand how she could possibly have known where Skywalker's ship was.

Even Talon was behaving differently to her, slightly wary.

In frustration at her lack of concentration, Mara threw the data card across her cabin.

She sighed. _/Blast the Jedi to the fiery pits of Mustafah/_

Her clock read 03:59 hours.

She glared at it.

It twitched violently then fell off her shelf.

It was _his_ fault she was so distrusted amongst Talon's crew, the only people that had accepted her since the fall of the Empire. First he had taken her life as an imperial from her, now he was taking her life as a smuggler too.

Anger surged in her momentarily. She should just go and kill him now…

She was at her door and stalking towards the med center before she had time to think. She felt for her hold-out blaster. Then her concealed Vibroblade. _/good./_ She smiled. She felt much more relaxed, almost calm.

As she approached the Med-Centre she felt a group of people gathered outside his room. Curiously she reached out with the force and, as the Emperor had once shown her so many years before, probed their minds to see who they were.

They were members of Skywalker's fan club.

Mara sighed.

Witnesses.

Ones that were already suspicious of her.

She couldn't finish Skywalker now, it would have to be later. Perhaps during the pre-dawn shift.

Before she could turn back however, she heard her name called out.

Her attention snapped back to reality.

A woman in her mid thirties was staring hard at her, hands on her hips.

"Miss Jade? Can I help you?"

Mara inwardly cursed, but put on what passed as her 'smile' amongst the crew of the L_ucky Karrde._ "Yes you can, Innes…" she paused, not wishing to be _too_ harsh the woman, who was one of Talon's favorites and oldest conscripts, "…Jedi Skywalker, where is he resting?"

Lena Innes' glare did not diminish, "You are visiting him at 04:00 hours?"

Mara paused, _/sith! How could I not realise how suspicious this looks,_ but her voice was bland and condescending when she replied, "I am between shifts. I was under the impression he was in a coma."

The woman looked put out. "Erm. Yes. Sorry. Sorry Mistress Jade…. He _is_ unconscious I didn't think…" She paused, her gaze slipping from Mara's as if suddenly realising she had no business questioning her, "Jedi Skywalker is in room B12." Lena gave a jerky curtsy.

Mara ignored her and breezed past.

B12 had a long observation window along the far side. The fanclub outside would be able to see everything she did_. /Blast it!./_

As she neared the designated room, she grew noticed his force presence growing stronger. She could feel he where he was. _/I would have found him easily enough without Innes…/_

Crowded around in uncomfortable plast med-centre chairs were anouther 7 'fanclub' members. Mara sighed softly. _/great, witnesses./_

They all stood from their chairs and stared hard at her as she approached.

She ignored them, heading straight for the door.

Calmly she reached to the door release.

A man's hand slapped over it, stopping her from releasing it.

The silence in the corridor thickened.

Mara slowly brought her eyes up to met those of the man blocked her way. It was one of the mechanics.

"Do. You. Mind?" Each word from her mouth was icy.

The mechanic was unmoved.

"No one goes in there alone. Mistress Jade."

Apparently the burly mechanic

Mara swiftly grabbed the man's hand, pulling his arm towards her and neatly spinning her lithe form. He flew over her shoulder in a graceful arc, landing in a pile against the far wall of the corridor.

Swiftly she palmed the release and stepped inside, sighing to herself as she locked it from inside.

Through the observation window she could see the line of self appointed bodyguards staring at her. She glared at them for a moment then ignoring them moved slowly to the bedside of the sleeping Jedi.

Despite her duracrete shields, she could sense his presence through the force. _/It's even brighter…/_

Her breath quickened and she felt her pulse speed up with anticipation.

She realized this was why he had a fan club where ever he went. People were subconsciously attracted to the vivid light that shone from the very heart of Luke Skywalker. Even if they were not force sensitive.

Mara allowed herself to take in the details of the man lying before her.

He was wearing a white hospital robe. His skin had returned to the golden tan Mara associated with the Tatooine. His hair was mussed and lay disheveled around his calm face on the stiff med-centre pillow. Tubes of fluids and nutrients were attached to his arm and the other lay at an awkward angle atop the sheets. Mara frowned, then realised it was a cybernetic arm. Obviously it had been damaged, however that was not the doctors field of expertise. Forgotten parts of her force vision returned. _/Bespin. Vader must have really taken his arm…/_

Mara stepped close until she was standing right beside his head. His breathing was even and shallow, but so soft as to be nigh undetectable. He truly did seem almost dead. A tiny spike of anxiety and concern spiked in her, _/perhaps I should wake him/_

Again feelings of conflicting emotions rose up within her. Hatred and…admiration? Was that the other thing she felt?

_/Why do I care at all about this traitorous rebel/_

Several reasons spun through her mind as she stared expressionlessly down at the sleeping man.

_/Perhaps I feel comradeship with him because he is force-sensitive. Perhaps I seek a new master? Do I desire the Force/_ She dismissed that idea. She had no love for the force, and she was never particularly strong in it anyway. She had not missed it much at all since her Master's death. It's loss had been a nuisance. Not a great sorrow.

_/Then what? Do I worry the emperor was mistaken about him?.. perhaps… Yes, that is it. I am unsure of his guilt. I am worried my master was given misleading information about him…/_

She was almost satisfied with this theory until the obvious hit her, literally, with deafening words thundering into her mind from the force.

_/YOU WILL KILL LUKE SKYWALKER/_

Mara groaned, her hands flying up to shield her face, and felt her legs give way beneath her.

Her knees hit the cold floor hard, painfully, and her head, clutched between her shaking hands, fell forward and onto the bed.

She knelt like that for a long minute while the pain from her master's last command slowly faded to a dull ache and her thoughts cleared.

_/oh, that's right. There's the reason I shouldn't be confused. My master is making his wishes well known/_

She took a deep breath to calm herself, and was disturbed to find herself inhaling a clean masculine scent. She dimly realised that her forehead was resting on the side of Luke Skwalker's chest. _/He smells nice./_ Her eyes opened, her eyelashes brushing against the course material of a med-bay blanket. She froze for an endless second, acutely aware of the warmth of his body beneath her head. The urge to bury her face against him and inhale nearly overcame her.

Mara gasped in surprise at her sudden… desire, drawing his intriguing scent further still into her, and quickly jumped to her feet.

She blindly left the room, practically running, ignoring everything the people outside said to her, and dashed back to her cabin.

The moment her door hissed shut she collapsed against it, her breath coming in gasps, her eyes wide in disbelief and disgust. She could still smell him…

She _desired_ Skywalker.

Now she really would have to put a blaster to his brain, her pride demanded it.

_Fraali Galactic Spaceport, Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

_The Millenium Falcon – Modified YT-1300 Corellian Freighter_

Han sighed.

He and Chewie were trapped in an outer rim dustbowl. Well, dustbowl was the wrong word, it was more of 'dust-slum' actually.

The spaceport they'd put into seemed to be a pre-empire fabrication. Everything was at least 50 years old. Even Han couldn't recall having seen a more dilapidated place. Half of the small Spaceport's dock was empty, apparently abandoned. The _Falcon_ was the newest ship in the port as far as he and Chewie could tell. The Dalhiris themselves where almost as rough as their home.

Somehow Han and chewie had managed to maroon themselves on some sort of 'pirate planet'. Everywhere they went everyone was armed to the teeth. A mostly humanoid population with a generous mix of other sentients, the one thing the natives had in common, (apart from weapons and bizarre flamboyant dress-sense), was a violent, speculative gleam in their eyes when they looked at Han. It was an expression the Corellian was unpleasantly familiar with, _/… like Ewoks planning a dinner party…/_

If not for the not-so-subtle threat in having an 8ft armed Wookie ambling along beside him, Han was pretty sure he'd have been mugged and dumped in a trash compactor within his first ten minutes on land.

Still, they'd put out feelers for both legitimate and black-market sources for the parts the Hyperdrive needed, but had no luck. Well, maybe not that bad, but it would be a good TWO WEEKS until the parts the _Falcon's_ Hyperdrive required would arrive. From _Kashyyyk._. Not matter what 'incentives' Han offered, or how threateningly Chewie howled, the Spaceport authorities insisted that no nearer systems had the parts they needed. They were stranded.

Unless of course he and Chewie could do a bit of inventive Hyperdrive mechanical modification and get the thing running well enough to make it back to Coruscant, or at least a system with better Spaceports…

"Hey Chewie! How's it coming along at your end?"

The wookie growled in frustration, and a loud banging was heard from the far side of the ship. Han winced, "Like that hey?" He sighed again, "I guess I will have to call Leia…"

He was going to have to call Leia. He was going to have to call home to his wife of 4 months and get her to come and 'rescue' him.

Chewie found this prospect incredibly amusing.

However, to call his wife, he was going to have to finish fixing the communication systems in the _Falcon_.

The electronics required there were standard enough thank the stars. He estimated he'd have the fried circuits replaced that afternoon.

Chewie was rumbling something at him from the back of the ship, Han paused to listen, hoping for some good news, but apparently his friend had heard his plan to call Leia and was only ribbing him.

"Cut it our Chewie! I am _not_ Leia's 'toy boy'! I'm _all_ _man…_"

Chewie snickered, _"No, you, are her pet ' Nerf-Herder'."_

"Hey! That's pretty rich coming from the 'Love-Carpet'!"

Chewie went very quiet.

The Corellian wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, despite the fact that Chewie couldn't actually see him, "Or was it 'Love-Rug'"?

Silence permeated the _Millenium Falcon_.

Han smirked smugly to himself as he returned his attention to the circuits before him, "Yeah, that's right Chewie! Her worship's pet names have got NOTHING on Mallatobuck's!."

Chewie growled ominously.

Han ignored him and continued to work on the Comm. Circuits. "Damn!" He sighed. "Chewie! The back up power link is fired as well. We're gonna have to go get more cable before I can get this running."

Chewie appeared at Han's shoulder, looking at the disheveled wires and circuits spread before the Corellian, "_You're right."_

Han frowned indignantly, "Oh course I'm right!" He leapt to his feet and grabbed his jacket, "Let's go. I could use some food, and I think I need to replace my liquids."

Chewie shrugged and headed towards the _Falcon's_ ramp.

They returned to a repairs shop that they'd found earlier and Han haggled for a few minutes over price, then they stopped off in a tap-caf.

With a surprisingly nice glass of froathy cold Lum ale in one hand and a burger containing an indigenous meat of some sort in the other, Han felt his spirits improve. He'd talk to leia tonight. It had been two weeks and he'd missed her, not that he'd ever admit that to Chewie of course.

He munched cheerfully enough on his questionable lunch, only playing vague attention to the people around him.

Chewie sneezed.

Han raised an eyebrow, _/since when do Wookies sneeze? They don't have allergies...for obvious reasons…/ _Shrugging the question off he turned away and looked out the grimy widow beside their booth. He couldn't see much. _/I wonder is Leia will be angry or concerned? It's hard to tell, she's so moody… Angry is probably a safe bet though…Still, I'm sure Luke's been able to reassure her we're alright with his hokey Jedi …/_

Han's musings were cut off abruptly when Chewie bellowed in his face. "Hey! What was that for Fuzzball! You almost made be drop my burger!"

"_Behind us. Listen."_

Han took another bite and glared across the table, but dutifully listened to the conversation taking place at the booth behind Chewie.

An pale orange twi-lek with a missing lekku and a human with an impressive beard wearing Dalhiri style elaborate clothes were whispering into each other's ale.

The human was grinning, one of his front teeth had a gem imbedded into it, "…just docked. Apparently they had a real nice run if you know what I mean…"

The twi-lek smirked, "Don't I just! What I wouldn't give for a place on Karrde's crew!"

The human sighed, "Yeah, I know what you mean, I've been hanging around this gods-forsaken dust bowl a good three years now. Still nadda. I figured once I'd found…" he glanced around, checking ineffectually for eavesdroppers, ".._torugaa_.… I'd be able to find a ship to run with and finally make a name for me self!"

The Twi-lek took a swing of his ale and commiserated, "Me too. That place is _full_ of credits… Spacers like us come of Karrde's ship with pockets bursting. How'd they get such a sweet deal?"

"I guess you gotta know someone buddy."

"I do! I my cousin Radan works off _the lucky karrde_ itself! He's the one who told me about this place."

"Cousin ey? Me, I just found it the old fashioned way, looked."

"well, Radan and me go way back. We got outta Kessel together, we got matching lekku because of it…" He gestured at his one remaining bound lekku."

"Really? I think I've seen him around then. I could've sworn I saw you a week ago with your _left_ tassel missing." The man chuckled to himself.

The twi-lek slouched back dejectedly into his chair, "Yeah.. He's not around much though… I'm getting sick of waiting to get a place with him." He paused looking reflectively into his glass, "Once I almost stole a ship from the holding yards… was gonna blast off this rock."

"Ah! The holding yards! A thing of beauty that place. There's some fine ships just sitting there… I'll admit the thought's crossed me mind as well. 'specially some of them sweet Old Rep. ones. They don't make ships like that anymore I tell you…"

The Twi-lek nodded, and started to say something, but his eyes drifted in Han's direction. Han nodded in a gruff casual greeting vague sort of way then returned his attention to his forgotten burger. The twi-lek leaned over to his companion and a minute later he and the human left, glaring meaningfully at Han and Chewie.

Han smirked, "Did you _hear _that?" he checked no one was watching the, "_Tortugaa!_ Here! The Hidden Pirate Port! It's somewhere on this rock! I thought that place was a spacers spice dream…"

"_Yes, I heard, I was more interested in this Ship Holding yard. We might be able to find the parts we need there."_

Han nodded, "Yeah, of course, that too." He stuffed his remaining burger into his mouth and stood, "Okay Chewie, let's stalk us some wannabe-pirates and find ourselves Tortugaa!"

Chewie stood and shook his head, _"why did I point out this conversation to you? I should have let you continue day dreaming about Leia…"_

Han slapped his friend's shoulder, "That's right, _Leia_," he leered, "… the sooner we stalk those two idiots back to this mysterious ship yard, the sooner I get the real thing." He smirked and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Chewie sighed and ambled out of the Tap-caf, following the lingering scent of the Twi-lek and the human.

"_Humans."_

Han just grinned, "Aw, you know you love me fuzzball."

_In orbit around Coruscant_

_The Alderaan – Leia Organa Solo's personal Star Yacht_

Leia Organo Solo was worried, or as she had said to the New Republic Senate: 'mildly concerned'. Her brother had vanished in a crippled X-Wing after a particularly vicious and unexpected battle with the Imperial Remnant over a week ago, and her husband and Chewbacca were overdue on Coruscant by almost two weeks.

She bit her lip. _/As if this whole 'Daughter of Darth Vader-Jedi Conspiracy' wasn't bad enough/_

The cockpit of the _Alderaan_, her personal ship, glowed with the soft lights of the many instruments surrounding her.

C-3PO was bumbling around behind her babbling about how Master Han and Master Luke were undoubtedly 'DOOMED!' and wondering aloud what would become of him and poor Princess Leia?

The aforementioned Princess sighed and turned to her droid, "Threepio, please, calm down. Everyone will be fine."

The golden droid seemed unconvinced, "Oh, of course Princess Leia. I'm quite certain you are correct. But I am worried about R2D2. You know how much trouble he gets into."

Leia stretched her neck out. "Yes Threepio… I'm going to make another call now."

The droid shuffled towards the exit, "Certainly Princess Leia, I will be in the main lounge should you need me."

With the droid gone Leia allowed herself a moment to collect her composure. Threepio was _not_ the most calming presence to be around in a crisis.

For what seemed like the millionth time, Leia punched in the encrypted codes to comm the _Millennium Falcon_. Static flared.

"Falcon, this is Alderaan, come in."

Leia waited anxiously for a few long seconds.

She sighed, but repeated herself.

Again. Static.

She felt hot tears pick behind her eyes.

_/Han! Where are you/_

"Falcon, this is Alderaan, come in.. .please…"

Leia listened to the static for a minute or two, then turned off her com, unsuccessful in raising her husband, yet again. He was two weeks late. /_I suppose you just call that missing… not late../_

She felt tears sliding down her cheeks, and let them fall unhindered. Leia Organa-Solo did not cry very often, but she felt more alone than she had in years. Perhaps since she'd cried herself to sleep in a cell on the Death Star after Tarkin had destroyed Alderaan. When she had been awaiting her 'termination'.

When the _Millenium Falcon_ didn't land on Coruscant as expected, she'd assumed her arrogant Corellian husband had run into some inconsequential delay, mechanical or otherwise. But as the days went by she'd grown more and more concerned. Already dealing with the disappearance of Luke, and the "Lady Vader" accusations of the entire Galaxy or so it seemed, she'd needed her husband's support. Whispers had swiftly made their way around the Senate and soon spread to the Holovid News and Gossip channels.

She'd tried to ignore them, she knew what a waste of time paying attention to the tabloid holos were, but she'd been watching the Holo the night before, in a vain attempt to distract herself from her worries, when she'd flicked to a Coruscant celebrity gossip show. Before she had registered what she was watching she'd been frozen in place by the image blown up behind the vapid looking Holo host's face. Her husband.

Well, the holo looked a good 10 years old, but it was definitely her Han. He was in a casino of some sort seated at a Sabacc table looking quite wasted with a cigarillo dangling from his mouth. The furry arm of a wookie was visible to his right, and perched on each of his knees was a scantily-clad dancer. A Twi-lek on his left and a blonde human girl on his right. He had a huge grin on his face. Leia stared, transfixed, as the 'reporter' gave the 'latest' on Han Solo.

"…_long history of womanizing, Leia Organa-Solo can't really be surprised at her new Corellian husband's disappearance. Our sources, close friends of the Solo's have confided exclusively to C-Holo StarNews, that the former smuggler has already had a string of affairs since his marriage to the Princess of Alderaan earlier this year. Apparently Princess Leia has been forgiving and understanding of her husband's philandering ways so far, but rumor is rife that this last indiscretion with Holo Actress and teenage singing sensation Keeli Klee could spell the end for the recently appointed Chief of State's marriage. The Chief of State has made no comment on the situation save remarking during a Galactic Senate session that she was "Mildly Concerned". Our source has revealed that the reason General Solo has been unfaithful to his wife may have something to do with the bizarre Sith Mating rituals the daughter of Darth Vader is reported to enjoy partaking in…. In other news, the Princess's twin brother, Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker, missing in action for over a week after an alteration with the Imperial Remnant in the Meridian Sector has been officially declared dead. Senator Borsk Fey'lya of Bothawui has remarked that he is relieved that the threat of Skywalker following in his father's footsteps is now passed. What the Senator doesn't realise is that there might be another heir to Vader's legacy out there! We'll cross live to the Commenor Tap-Caf waitress who claims she is pregnant with Skywalker's child in just a few…"_

She hadn't turned on the Holo since.

Admittedly, she'd had fleeting concerns about Han's disappearance, but she'd dismissed them swiftly. She had no doubt that Han Solo loved her with all his stubborn Corellian heart, (after all, the man _had_ kidnapped her) and the 'scandalous' holo's of Han from years before where neither new nor hurtful to her. Han has always been honest with her about his past, and she found the stories Chewie told her about his "mis-spent youth" amusing rather than upsetting. What had really scared her was _how_ absurd their explanations for Han's disappearance were.

She knew from experience that tabloid holos were either eerily accurate, or completed wrong, and they were wrong about 95 of the time. So, while she could take heart that according to that logic her brother was neither dead nor fathering illegitimate children with tap-caf waitresses, and she was not in danger of traumatizing her husband with 'bizarre Sith Mating Rituals', where did that leave Han? Not having an affair, just gone.

Missing.

She knew he'd never do this too her on purpose, so something must have happened to him.

That was how she came to be in her personal ship, orbiting Coruscant. She'd taken a leave of absence and she was going to find her husband, her brother and her friend. She knew that the NR had some of their best agents searching already, but she couldn't sit on Coruscant and twiddle her thumbs waiting for them like some defenseless housewife. Especially since it meant she'd have to listen to Fey'lya and the rest of the anit-Jedi senators attacking her brother in his absence, or rejoicing in his supposed death. They all seemed to have conveniently forgotten that his X-wing had been damaged while he was protecting a _New Republic_ convoy. A convoy he'd only been a part off at the High Council's request. No, she wasn't going to sit around and listen to their hateful gossip. If he'd been hurt it was while he was protecting _them._

She was Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan! _/Well, Chief of State Leia Organa_-_Solo_…/. She'd achieved many things that she was proud of. She was the youngest elected member of the Imperial Senate, she'd fought for the rebellion, choked Jabba the Hutt on her own slave-chain and defied Vader himself. Her father Bail had raised her to be strong. She was going to find Han, Luke and Chewie, and if needs be, rescue them. It wouldn't be the first time after all.

But while she tried to stay confident, her heart was sick with worry. The people she loved most in the Galaxy were all gone. Her husband, her brother, and her dear friend Chewie. Worst of all, she had no idea where to begin her search. Luke's damaged ship had apparently made an unplanned Hyperspace jump from the midst of battle, so she truly had no idea where he might be, and Han and Chewie had been en-route home from the Corporate Sector via the Hydian Way when she'd spoken to them last.

A vast area of space.

_/Well, at least I know which side of the galaxy to look in…/_

She shook herself out of her misery, "This isn't the first time Han and Luke have vanished Leia. Afterall, they were lost in the freezing blizzards of Hoth and they were both fine… You're over-reacting. They are fine."

She took a deep breath.

"Luke is a Jedi, he can take care of himself… and Han and Chewie have been banging their way around the most dangerous places in the Galaxy since I was in pigtails... They are alright."

_/I just wish I knew where they were/_

An idea tingled at the back of her mind.

She knew that they were still alive, she knew it with certainty. She knew it through the force.

Maybe the force could help her find them.

She tentatively slipped into light meditation as her brother had been trying to teach her. Letting go of all her worries and concerns, she let the peace of the Force fill her mind. It took awhile, but eventually she felt at one with the life giving energy that surrounded her galaxy. Carefully, she let her mind wander through the vastness of space, the huge track of systems between the core and Almania, seeking her brother, seeking Han and Chewie.

She didn't know how long she sifted through stars that way, but suddenly she felt something. A bright glimmer in the force, far away. Han! He was alive! She could feel him! And Chewie was with him! Excitedly she reached out towards her husbanded wrapping him in a force hug before she was pulled back into herself. Her eyes snapped open and she grinned.

Her husband was alive and well. Knowing that Nerf-Herder of hers, his precious ship was laid up someplace for repairs. She could find him. And give him a piece of her mind! _/I'll teach him not to let me know he's alright! Corellians! No manners/_

A yawn escaped her. She glanced at her chrono. 3 hours had passed.

Leia gasped in shock.

Her eyes felt heavy and she stifled another yawn. She decided she needed to rest, she'd been having trouble sleeping without Han and she'd been over-exerting herself. When she was rested she would track down that foolish husband of hers, and with he and chewie aiding her, she was certain they'd be able to find Luke. Han had a knack for knowing where and when the 'kid' needed to be dragged out of trouble.

Leia let her eyes drift closed and again called on the force, this time letting it guide her in setting the Nav Computer.

Long fingers darted swiftly over the console, deftly entering complex co-ordinates with complete confidence. She'd seen Luke do it before, with nav computers, locked doors and protected datapads, and had always felt it to be dangerous, but she felt confident in her Force abilities in a way she never had before. Sensing Han with such clarity across the vastness of space had given her new faith. Glancing down she saw she'd entered the exact co-ordinates for a jump to a third-rate, force-forsaken outer rim dustbowl of a planet in the Meridian Sector. Exactly the sort of place that Han and Chewie would end up. He had after all, met Luke on Tattooine of all places.

_/Ðalhir… At least it has a pretty name.._/ She smiled, she'd never been there. The closest was probably Obroa-Skai with her father as a child, or Yavin during the rebellion. It seemed like a logical place to start looking, and she trusted in the force. The chances of her entering in a random sequence of co-ordinates into the nav comp. and coming up within an inhabited system, let alone in the orbit of a planet, were several million to one. Nevermind that Dalhir was in an area of the galaxy where logically Han and Chewie could actually be. "I doubt even Artoo could give me accurate odds on that.."

Leia pulled the lever and eased her ship into Hyperspace.

The stars blurred into lines in her forward display.

She felt only calm as she made her way to her cabin to rest. Threepio said something to her but she only smiled and continued serenely on her way. The droid paused, confused at her sudden change of mood.

As she drifted past, C3P0's delicate sensors took in her vital signs and processed the expression on her face. Her body temperature was normal, her breathing shallow and regular and her eyes were slightly unfocused. He made an internal note to himself that she was behaving in a manner very reminiscent of Master Luke.

As the door to her cabin closed he headed to his power station twittering to himself as if R2D2 were beside him, "Well, she is Master Luke's sister I suppose. Perhaps his calming influence will be good for her in the face of such hardship."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

_Hyperspace, somewhere in the Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

Karrde composed himself before the Comm Unit in his personal quarters.

He was wearing a fine black tunic of Hapan Silk and had brushed his hair carefully. He wanted to look his best, it wasn't everyday you spoke to the Chief of State.

He cleared his throat then ended the very long, very complicated encrypt code that would secure him a line to the space ship _Alderaan_. The personal yacht of Princess Leia Organa-Solo.

The screen before him showed a mind-numbing-seizure-inducing "Connecting… please stand by" message. Why the service providers in this sector thought lurid yellow and green flashing lettering pleasant to stare at when making a comm call he did not know. He assumed it was probably one of the most commonly pondered mysteries this side of the Core.

The clashing lettering was replaced with a blue tinged holo of the serenely beautiful figure of Leia Organo-Solo.

Karrde smiled slightly and opened his mouth to greet her, but she beat him to it.

"Greetings, I am regretfully unable to answer your holo-call at this point in time. Please leave a recorded message, and I will return you comm promptly. Thank-you."

She hadn't given her name or the ships. _/Well, I guess it's safe to assume that anyone coming her at this number will know who she is…/_

The recording of the Princess smiled and vanished to be replaced with more lurid lettering. 'Begin message recording'

Karrde sighed, oh well, she'd have his frequency listed as a missed call, so he might as well leave her a message.

"Greetings. My name is Captain Talon Karrde. I have some news of interest for you Madame Chief of State. My crew came across the wreck of Luke Skywalker's X-Wing during a trade run. Please contact me at this frequency to discuss this matter further. I have not contacted the authorities on this matter as I thought it …. appropriate you were the first to know." He nodded respectfully, "Talon Karrde Out.".

The connection cut and he sat back and pondered the message he'd just left. _/ambiguous...She won't know if her brother is alive or dead... And since she will have to contact me now, I have the advantage./_

Karrde still hadn't decided whether or not he would hand Skywalker over to the NR or the Imperials. He supposed he'd rather give Skywalker back to the NR, but he wasn't going to pass up a tidy profit if the Moffs saw fit to other him enough. _/It's up to Organa-Solo what becomes of him now…/_.

He stood and walked to the small window of his cabin. They were due to exit Hyperspace within the next two hours, and the descent to his secure dock at the infamous Spaceport, 'Tortugaa Galactic', hidden on the planet of Dalhir would take another hour or so.

Skywalker would be easily convinced to be his 'guest' especially if he were able to communicate with his sister. _/but really, who would resist MY hospitality/ _Failing that, he had the Yslamiri imported from his 'smuggling' base on Myrkr. From what he had gleaned from Mara Jade and other test subjects and research, the little lizards crippled a Jedi's power.

Yes, soon Karrde would have the last of the Jedi, the hero of the Rebel Alliance and the brother of the New Republic Chief of State securely in his control.

He allowed himself a smile. _/I stand to make a lot of credits out of this…/_

On the deck below him, Mara Jade awoke from yet another night of fitful sleep haunted by the blue eyes of Luke Skywalker.

She cursed and slammed her fists into her pillow.

"Damn him!"

One minute she was having her usual dream/vision of her master's downfall, and next she was having a lustfull dream about the cursed Jedi.

She clenched her teeth shut, letting them grind together in frustration.

Skywalker had, in the space of a week, somehow insinuated himself into every aspect of her life. _/And he's not even conscious/ _Her thoughts drifted back to him constantly, switching erratically from hatred to desire then back again. Half the time she had no idea how he distracted her. One minute she'd be thoughtfully regarding her breakfast, trying to decide between caf or stim tea, next thing she knew her mind went off on a bizarre tangent from 'stim-tea' that ended at 'Luke Skywalker'. It was unnerving.

He haunted her dreams in a similar way, whether in her bed or at the end of her blaster, he was always the focus.

But perhaps worst of all was his _smell_. She could not wash it off! It was as if that infuriating, addictive, maddening scent had imprinted itself upon the very air around her and followed her through the ship in a little cloud, like her own personal weather system.

She has taken to avoiding all conversation with the rest of the crew for fear he would come up in discussion, and had not even been on the same level as the med-bay since her visit a few days earlier.

She had thought her 'feelings' would die down.

Apparently they had not.

Even unconscious and in a trance his presence in the force was like a vibrant warmth that called to her constantly.

She sat bolt upright on her bunk as a thought occurred to her. _/Perhaps if he was awake, he'd be able to shield his force presence, and I wouldn't be feeling like this./_

Mara thought on this for a few minutes, trying to be logical in her arguments for and against awakening Skywalker. She knew that Jedi and sith alike were able to shield themselves from other force users, so she was quite certain that Skywalker would be able to tone down his force presence if conscious. But the downside was of course, that he'd be conscious. _/Sithspit/ _She'd have to talk to the man.

Mara Jade was also quite well aware where her late night genius regarding the Jedi had gotten her last time.

_/Infatuated… apparently.../_

She had no desire to make the situation any worse.

She laid back on her narrow bunk and tried to sleep but her heart was beating a little too fast and her breath refused to steady out. Her thoughts all raced towards one man despite her attempts to distract herself with anything, anyone else. _/no! I am NOT going back there. Maybe in the morning, when I'm thinking clearly, but not now./_

Mara took a long, calming breath and thought about the most unappealing thing she could. A hutt. A big, slimy parasite infected one. One with a great big lolling tongue that wanted to be her 'special' friend. For a moment it worked and she shuddered in disgust, then, predictably, the Hutt turned into Jabba, and _Skywalker_ appeared with the bikini-clad Princess Leia to spoil everything. _/Damn! That blasted Jedi has even tainted my Nightmares!… well… I suppose imagining a Hutt wasn't the best idea, seeing as how the one time I ever met the rebel traitor was at Jabba's…/_ She sighed and sat up.

"I'll wake him. Tell him that his blasted Jedi powers are invading my sleep, then leave."

She took a few calming breaths. "Hopefully I will then stop speaking to myself."

Yes, she'd wake him, perhaps yell at him, then come back and have a nice night's rest for the first time in a week.

_/Sith. I must be tired. Surely sleep isn't worth a conscious Jedi…/_

Still, she pulled on a flight suit, not bothering to pull her hair up, and headed out into the ship.

The corridors were quiet, not deserted but quiet. It was about 02:00 hours, so while the ship was mostly asleep, there were many crew around in preparation for the return to real space and Dalhir. Captain Karrde always liked to have his crew ready for action.

Her journey to the med-bay was swift and uneventful.

Mara Jade didn't bat an eyelid at the handful of 'fan-club' members keeping vigil outside Skywalker's room. She noticed however, that someone had adjusted the observation mirror so that it was reflective, not transparent. _/the med staff where probably sick of working in a fish bowl…./_

She walked boldly up to the door and palmed the release before anyone could stop her.

The moment the door hissed shut behind her she let out a sigh of relief.

Just being close to the Jedi she felt as if a heavy load had been lifted off her. It was as if she'd spent all week pulling against a tractor beam that had suddenly released her. The sense of peace she got from giving in to her need to be near Skywalker was disturbing.

Taking a deep breath she made her way to his bedside.

He looked exactly the same as he had two nights previously. He looked perfect. His hair was still a golden halo, his face still handsome in repose. All traces of his near death experience were gone. He looked gorgeous.

Suddenly the formally sleepless Mara was tired. She yawned and blinked slowly. As she yawned her right hand covered her mouth, then lowered, coming to rest on Skywalker's shoulder.

She glared half-heartedly at her traitorous limb

She could feel the warmth of his body under her hand.

A tingle of desire slithered up her spine. She ignored it.

Her legs wavered beneath her and she sat down on the very edge of his bed, being careful not to touch him.

"Right. Now. To wake him up…." She ignored the rapid beating of her heat and the conflicting emotions running through her veins and instead focused on the problem before her, namely, waking up Luke Skywalker.

She drew up memories of their force conversation, trying to ignore the warmth and kindness she remembered in his voice.

_/I will make sure to repay you for your kindness./_

His voice was fading again.

_/You should go… To pull me from the trance just tell me to wake up…Thank-you…./_

"Well, that's really helpful…' _/just tell him to wake up/_

Sighing, feeling very foolish, Mara Jade quickly looked around to make sure no one was looking.

Since she was alone in the room, this did not prove to be a problem.

Leaning over the still form of the sleeping Jedi, Mara Jade muttered softly , "Wake up Skywalker."

To her complete astonishment, blue eyes shot open and Luke Skywalker took a deep breath.

He awoke to full strength in the force, his bright light suddenly blinding in its radiance. She fought the impulse to reach out towards him with her own presence.

He smiled radiantly at her and to her shame Mara felt her heart swell. "Took you long enough Mara Jade."

She blinked.

The Jedi raised an eyebrow in query.

He spoke to her as if they were friends, as if he had every right to expect her presence at his bedside.

She opened and closed her mouth. Words were trying to form in the back of her mind, but she couldn't seem to string them together to form a sentence. She was aware of only her inexplicable desire for the man before her. His awakening had strengthened her longing, not weakened it. Her breath was catching in her throat. His face was only centimeters from her own.

His eyes seemed to have some sort of magnetic pull to them because she found herself leaning closer to the confused Jedi.

Her eyes flicked to his lips for a second and suddenly she paused, aware of what it was she wanted to do, and unable to allow herself to. She backed her face up away from his._/Sith! What are you doing Jade! He'd a Jedi! You can't just kiss him/_

He just smiled up at her, looking like a confused farm-boy.

She continued staring stupidly at him.

His smile faded, then his hand, his real hand, came up to rest against the side of her face. It was warm and strong and callused. Her face leant into his touch before she had time to stop herself, her eyes still glued to his. She knew that she'd never looked upon him before in her life, but his eyes were the exact shade that she had known they would be. The same hypnotic blue as in her visions. _/Dreams Jade! Not visions! Just stupid hormone induced dreams../ _Dimly she fought to regain control of her senses and took a deep, calming breath.

It proved to be a mistake.

She had forgotten that she was practically lying in Skywalker's lap, and in their close proximately, her deep calming breath bought his scent to her attention. The maddening smell that had been haunting her since she'd first visited him in the med-centre hit her full force.

Her eyes slid shut and her forehead fell forward weakly to rest against his. Her hand came to rest on the warmth of his shoulder so she could prop herself up. She could feel his warm breath against her skin, mingling with her own hitched gasping attempts to drawn in oxygen. Her dry lips tingled as they almost brushed against the Jedi's. /_no.. can't want… Skywalker…/_

She knew she had to get away from him, Now!

Rallying her will, she steeled herself to pull herself away.

Mara sat up.

But her brain had apparently stopped working.

She had never wanted anyone like she wanted Luke Skywalker in that moment. Her very body was betraying her. Her hand, the one that had been resting so innocently against his shoulder had hung onto him for dear life, drawing him up to sit before her. They faces were mere centimeters apart yet again. The heat from his body was burning at her through her flightsuit. She couldn't move.

Her guilt at betraying her master, her mistrust of the Jedi, all she believed in were forgotten. She couldn't think of anything. Her only hope was that he would stay _very still_ and not make any sudden movements.

He didn't move.

Instead his lips parted and he spoke in a low soft voice, "Mara….".

Her eyes slid half closed at the sound of her name on his lips. He sounded as if her wanted her as much as she wanted him. _/no.. He can't want me… that's not possible…/_

The Jedi before her groaned low in his throat and rested his forehead against her shoulder, inhaling the scent of her hair and skin deeply. Pleasure shot through her at this simple contact. Unconsciously one of her hands buried itself in his mussed bed-hair, bring him into a half-embrace against her.

She couldn't even remember to be angry when he answered her silent question through the force, his voice ringing out softly in her mind, much clearer than it had the week before,_ /I do Mara…./_

Her heart soared at his words.

He wanted her.

Seemingly from a far way away she felt uneasiness and guilt at this pleasure, something was wrong. But in her confusion she couldn't quite remember what was wrong.

Her tongue moistened her lips and her mouth formed a single word, the only response she could think of to express the twisted mess of feelings that the man before her was causing, "Luke..?"

A sarcastic little voice chided her from deep within herself, but she couldn't comprehend its warning, it came from too far away and its words were unclear.

Luke Skywalker's head rose from her shoulder, bright blue eyes boring into green and the murmuring of the sarcastic voice retreated into silence in wake of his unflinching gaze.

She didn't know what exactly she was asking for, but he was a Jedi after all, so he knew even if she did not. His lips closed the centimeter that separated them to brush against hers.

The kiss was soft, warm and short.

Mara's eyes opened groggily as he pulled away, she did not remember them closing. She met his gaze for a moment, then her eyes slipped down to his lips. _/again./_ Tentatively she leant towards him, she wanted to feel his soft lips against hers again. Luke's thumb caressed the line of her face gently but he otherwise remained still, letting her come to him. She was almost kissing him, their breath mingling once again. The heat from his skin seemed to be sending tiny invisible streaks of lightening out towards her sensitized skin. Her eyes drifted closed again. She froze for a moment, _/there is something I should thinking.. there is something I should be feeling right now…/_. She should not be doing this, but her clouded mind couldn't _/wouldn't/ _let her remember why. _/one kiss can't hurt…/_

Her lips found his and she sighed at the strange sense of relief and satisfaction that swept through her. Giving in was so much easier that fighting. The kiss was different to the first, the innocent sweetness of lips brushing gently against one another was lost to a new fervor. Mara knew she should pull away before her _one kiss_ turned into something else entirely, but her brain was fuzzy and she felt powerless to resist the gentle insistence of the Jedi before her.

Dimly she was aware of the low groan in the back of his throat and of his hand slipping over her cheek and into her hair, pulling her face closer as he deepened their kiss. She matched his kiss thoughtlessly, her lips hard against his, her free hand grabbing hold to the front of his med-centre tunic.

Desire shot through her and she felt herself moan as he ran his tongue along her bottom lip. Her mouth opened to his easily as he tilted her head to the side, his fingers twisting his her hair. Their tongues tasted each other, lips crushing together in sudden unexpected violence and need. Mara's hand slipped from his hair and her arm wrapped around his neck as she let him pull her onto his lap.

With this new position giving her much more access to the Jedi she had spent the last week craving and hating alternatively, Mara let her hands run over him. The distant, sarcastic part of her mind noted that her desire evidently outweighed her hatred. She ignored this revelation. Her right hand returned to its perch twisted in his hair, keeping his hungry mouth slanted over hers. Her left slid down over his and came to rest on his hip, letting her draw her straddled thighs further over him, pressing her form tightly against his in an intimate embrace. Luke gasped as her hips ground unconsciously against his own and his lips left hers and kissed a trail down the side of her neck coming to rest on the curve of her neck.

His teeth scraped against her soft flesh and her head fell backwards as a low moan escaped her. She clutched at him, holding his head against her as her heart beat wildly. Dimly she was aware that she should stop this and run away, but she couldn't bring herself to remember her duty and continued her blissful delusion.

Luke's damaged artificial arm slid around the small of her back slightly awkwardly and brought her hips flush against his. The heat of him against her awoke a burning ache within her. She moaned softly in need.

His teeth bit into her neck sharply as his real hand slid from her tangled hair and along the line of her neck, his thumb tracing her collarbone before his fingers ran lightly down her arm to come to a rest on her hip. Her face turned against his and he lifted his head to meet her lips in another fevered kiss as his thumb traced circles on her hip, tickling her through the thin material of her flightsuit.

Mara's hand came to rest against his chest and she felt a thrill of triumph at the rapid tattoo of his heart. Her lips pulled away from him and trailed down the line of his neck, her tongue tasting the heat of his skin. He flinched slightly and weakly ground out her name, accidentally letting his force shields waver. His pleasure and desire where suddenly evident to her though the force, as if they were her own feelings, and Mara snapped. Her hands flew up to his shoulders and Luke Skywalker found himself shoved back onto his med-centre bunk as her mouth sought his harshly, her tongue claiming him and her lips stealing his breath. He groaned weakly. Her legs sifted slightly and then she was straddling him fully, her weight and heat welcome against him. Mara broke away from his kiss and sat back, her eyes, darkened with desire, regarding him half closed and her kiss-swollen lips parted. Her breath was coming in little puffs.

The flightsuit she was wearing had started to come undone and Luke could already see the red mark against her creamy skin on her neck. It would leave a bruise. He found the thought pleased him perversely and a flash of embarrassment shot through him.

Ignoring the feeling Luke sat up again, pulling her into his arms, crushing her against him.

Their lips met again in a violent kiss, and they recklessly lost themselves in each other, deaf to the strange noises coming from outside in the med-center hallway.

Talon Karrde was whistling softly to himself as he headed towards the Med-bay to check up on his 'guest'.

The _Wild Karrde_ would be landing in half and hour, and he was hoping to see the Jedi awake.

He had put on his finest tunic, had his assistant brush the velvet of his Captain's Jacket and groom the long delicate scarlet Alderaani Niutet feathers on his hat. His dress shirt with Naboo Lace cuffs was still with his laundry unfortunately, but perhaps it was for the best. He didn't want to waste all his impressive clothes at once. _/Besides, my beautiful DC-74's are enough to impress a Rebel pilot from the outer rim I'm sure…/ _He caressed the heavy Dueling Blaster on his left hip with a slight dreamy smile. They were his most prized possessions, even more than his precious hat. _/A true gentleman's weapon./_

Filled with excitement and anticipation at how things seemed to be working out for him, he started humming 'Blast the man down' (his favourite Spacer's song), to himself. As he approached the room in which Skywalker slept however, the jaunty tune he was whistling died on his lips. One dark eyebrow raised in disbelief and confusion.

Captain Talon Karrde was a man of some experience. He was not a particularly _old_ man, he was only 37, but he'd been knocking around the galaxy for the better part of 20 years, smuggling, profiteering, spying and generating making a nuisance of himself. He'd been a guest of Spice lounges in Palaces of Hutt Royalty, sold information to both the Empire and the Rebel Allowance, been in his first blaster fight at age 15, his first space battle by 17, viewed the slave-markets of Nal-Hutta with distaste, sprung comrades from Imperial Detention and worked for some of the greatest and most unsavory Privateers of his time. In short, there was very little that could surprise Talon Karrde.

There appeared, however, to be some sort of orgy taking place in the hallway of his flagship. _His_ flagship.

Three couples, including the ship's dignified Senior Medic Officer, where making out like teenage twi-leks in a spice lounge right before his eyes.

There were two of his mechanics embracing passionately up against the wall, (he was fairly certain they were both married), another couple sprawled over an observation couch, (one of whom he recognised as his friend, the very respectable Miss Lena Innes) and the medic officer and his assistant were in the process of opening a supply closet, presumable for some privacy.

For a long minute Karrde was speechless.

"Emperor's Black Bones! What is going on here?"

The couple nearest to him, the middle-aged medic officer and his young assistant, glanced at him, then returned their attention to each other.

He blinked, noting to himself that he felt vaguely nauseous.

Everyone around him continued to ignore him. He was unaccustomed to being treated with so little respect by his crew.

"I said, WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!"

This time no-one even glanced in his direction. Karrde's face slipped into an unusual expression of deepest shock.

He wondered vaguely if Skywalker had something to do with his crew's sudden attack of Nymphomania. Slowly, almost gingerly, he walked towards the door to the Jedi's room, trying very hard to seem unaffected by the scene around him.

As he drew nearer he noticed that he was becoming a little, excited. His dark brows furrowed. _/What? I'm getting turned on by **this!** Elderly doctors taking advantage of the nursing staff!… Well, this is a new low…/ _He paused near the door, deeply disturbed by his apparent 'deviousness'… _/No. NO! I am **not** turned on by old men or mechanics!…Is the Jedi doing this? Some sort of sick joke/ _Another thought occurred to him and he almost smiled,_ /Is he having a naughty dream/_

Crossing the last meter he palmed the room's door release.

His mouth dropped open again.

The fierce blueeyes of Luke Skywalker stopped him dead in his tracks. He was glaring at Talon over Mara Jade's shoulder. From where he sat on his bed. The bed on which he'd apparently been giving Talon's second in command, (his second in command who appeared to be sitting in his lap with her flightsuit half undone), a love-bite.

The look in his eyes was not a friendly one.

Talon felt himself 'pushed' out of the room as if by a giant invisible hand.

The door hissed shut.

He blinked.

Behind him he heard Lena Innes slap someone.

_The desert, a long, long way from Fraali Galactic Spaceport._

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

Han peered through the gathering darkness at the speck of orange light visible ahead of him.

The light belonged to orange Twi-lek's old speeder bike. It wasn't going very fast.

Han and Chewie were forced to follow in their 'borrowed' speeder at a speed a drunken Vippit could outpace. (Or so it seemed to Han)

Chewie was humming to himself and playing with the air rushing past his window. It was an odd game that the Wookie often played when in speeders. He'd put his had outside into the roaring wind then retract it as quickly as possible. Sometimes he made a little "wooo!" sound when he did it.

_/I need a drink…/_

Han shook his head, "How old are you Chewbacca?"

The wookie glared darkly at him, _"Older than **you**__pup…"_

Han pouted, "I'm not the pup here, you are."

Chewie woofed out a laugh and returned to his game.

They'd followed the twi-lek and his companion around all afternoon, from tap-caf to tap-caf. By the time he'd mounted his speeder bike, it had been a miracle the twi-lek could even walk.

Realising he'd gained a little on the speederbike ahead of him, Han pulled the throttle back a little, letting the little orange light outpace him for a few minutes. Suddenly it vanished.

The Corellian frowned, "What the?"

Chewie shrugged, _"Well, Tortuga is hidden. Perhaps it is underground, or behind a stealth shield of some sort…"_

"yeah I guess. What do you reckon? We just blast in there and find out where he went?"

Chewie bared his teeth in a wookie-smirk, _"I've never known you to behave in any other manner."_

Han grinned maniacally and gunned the engine. "Well Chewie, I'd hate to disappoint…"

_Hyperspace, Approach Run ro Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

Luke Skywalker returned his gaze to the beautiful woman in his arms.

She was panting, her head swaying from side to side as if woozy.

Luke took a calming breath, coming to his senses, realising that the way he was behaving was bizarre, unusual, and _very_ unbecoming for a Jedi. It was also very unlike him and he felt a wave of shame and embarrassment. _/What would Aunt Beru say/_ Trying to get his desire under control he bought his hand under Mara Jade's chin and lifted her face so she had to meet his gaze.

Her vivid green eyes met his for a moment then slid shut.

Luke felt his attempts at calming himself failing, _/she's so beautiful…/_. He'd never met anyone with this affect on him, this woman was practically a stranger and all he wanted to do was rip her clothes off. Beautiful women had thrown themselves at him on occasion ever since the Battle of Yavin, but Luke had never been tempted to have a fling with any of them. For some reason he'd wanted Mara Jade the first time he'd laid his eyes on her.

She shook her head violently from side to side, as if clearing her thoughts, then with an abruptness that startled him, pushed herself out of his arms, onto her feet and out the door, not bothering to shut it again.

He stared after her.

His left arm had reached out pointlessly towards the door.

"What just happened?"

A tall, dark-haired man in a ridiculous hat appeared in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, his solid arms crossed. Animosity radiated off him through the force. "You tell me Skywalker."

Luke realised he'd ejected the man from the room moments earlier in another very un-Jedi like gesture. _/Not to mention inappropriate use of the Force…/_ Another wave of shame engulfed him. He wasn't sure what to say.

The outlandishly dressed man stared at him with very cold, serious eyes. He apparently expected an answer.

Luke's hand found it's way into his disheveled hair in a nervous attempt to flatten it.

"Um.. sorry about… before.." The Jedi gestured vaguely with his hand, making a waving motion at the door, "You know… with the… um…pushing thing…" Suddenly all Leia's valiant attempts to soften his Outer Rim drawl into something approaching a dignified Coruscanti lilt had come undone. _/great. I sound like a twelve year old…/_ From somewhere at the back of his mind he could almost hear someone who sounded like Leia replying, _/well, you're acting like one Luke Skywalker/_

Suddenly the current situation was forgotten, "Leia!". He flung aside his tangled sheets, "I've got to tell Leia I'm alright!…." He'd made it to his feet pausing as his head swum momentarily then cleared. Quickly he checked himself over, he was stiff and sore, the joint between his artificial limb and his arm was tender and throbbed, but for the most part he was healed. "She's gonna kill me!"

The near-forgotten stranger _/there's something familiar about him…/_, pushed himself away from the door frame. "Might be premature to go reassuring your lovely _sister_ Skywalker." He leered in a manner that reminded Luke eerily of Han, and strode across the small room, his low-heeled spacers boots clicking sharply.

Luke crossed his arms, arranging his face into his neutral 'Jedi' mask. _/sister? He knows Leia's my sister?…./ _He sensed no particular danger about his lavishly dressed guest, but then again, his senses had failed him on more than one account in the last hour. He decided to attempt diplomacy.

"Of course, you're quite correct. Before I contact Leia, I need to thank my rescuers…". He paused, letting his eyes trail over the tall figure now standing a little too close to him, letting them reflect subdued awe at his wardrobe, the lace at his cuffs, the gleaming gold of his dueling blasters, the rich velvet of his jacket, his neatly trimmed moustache and goatee…. Luke's head spun, the man was over-dressed for a Kuati Ball. _/he obviously dressed to impress… I've never seen a spacer in lace... he's so… shiny…/ _"Captain…?"

The man blinked, seemingly mollified by Luke's apparent "awe", but made him wait for a name, pausing dramatically, "Captain Talon…_Karrde_."

The name was familiar, but Luke couldn't quite place it. Looking suitably impressed he nodded his head in thanks, "Captain Karrde. I am indebted to you and your crew…"

The Captain nodded, "Yes… 'my crew'….", it was obvious he was referring the beautiful Mara Jade by his sarcastic tone, "… are all, quite _enamored,_ with your presence about The _Lucky Karrde_… Personally I've never cared much for all that Force mumbo-jumbo."

Luke nodded, "Understandable Captain Karrde." _/Lucky Karrde! I've heard of this man, this ship… It was in the brief I got on the Star of Naboo… I must still be in the same region of the galaxy at least…/_ The Jedi quickly tried to recall the exact details of what he'd read about Captain Karrde, but nothing came, just a vague uneasiness. _/ Ah! I should know this/_

Karrde nodded sharply, "Perhaps we can discuss your.. situation… at more length over dinner." He glanced at a gold wrist-chrono, "We are about to make port. I'm sure we can come to some arrangement regarding compensation for Mara Jade's timely intervention on your behalf. She pulled us right out of Hyperspace... Could have killed everyone on board. Very Dangerous."

Luke nodded in relief, "Of course. I'm sure the New Republic will see fit to offer you a reward for my rescue." _/Money, he just wants money.Good./ _The Captain's comm. beeped subtly and he smiled slyly at Luke, "If you will excuse me for a moment Skywalker…" He was out the door before Luke could react.

Five minutes passed, the ship reverted to real space in a smooth transition.

_/Is he gonna come back?… /_ Luke sighed and wandered across the tiny med-room to the viewscreen on the far wall. They were just entering a sparse system that he did not recognise.

He took a moment to go over his injuries more thoroughly. His broken ribs and punctured lung were almost completely healed, with just stiffness and bruising left, the fracture in his left arm was similarly healed and the concussion was just a memory. It stung to breathe in too deeply. _/maybe the ribs aren't quite healed then…/ _His left arm and shoulder was the only thing he was concerned about. His replacement arm had been crushed when the X-wings targeting system had slammed back into him. The movement in the arm was stiff and he could hardly move the fingers at all.

He could live with that however. The problem was where the arm was connected. It ached and throbbed if Luke moved his arm to fast. The artificial interface where flesh and bone met metal and synthflesh was a network of wires and sensors running up his arm to the elbow. These had been damaged when his hand had been crushed. The throbbing was from the little sensors and interfacing wires that had been displaced and now ran through his arm with no purpose, like giant splinters imbedded in his flesh. The deep ache was from where the metal rod that formed the 'bone' of his forearm was riveted into the remains of his real bone. It felt like it had been almost torn away.

The care he'd received in the ship's med bay was still impressive though. _/How big is this ship exactly? I'm just in a recovery room./_ he glanced at the door, _/13b? This must be a big cargo ship.. or something.. to have such a large med bay, with more than thirteen recovery rooms…/_

Luke sighed, leaving the mystery of _The Lucky Karrde _for a moment and tried to send healing powers into his arm, he wouldn't be able to heal the arm without microsurgery, but he needed to keep it stable until he returned to Coruscant.

It was a good ten minutes later that he remembered Leia still didn't know he was alive. Karrde had left abruptly without an offer of a comm. Undoubtedly he would bargain with Luke for use of one. The jedi knew he could easily escape his room, but he preferred to wait until he knew exactly what he'd gotten himself into. _/That rules out the comm then…/_

He smirked, _/But, Karrde can't stop me from speaking to Leia, comm. or not./._

Standing at the tiny viewscreen of the Lucky Karrde's fast approach vector to_…/planet something in system where ever, _Luke Skywalker stretched out in the force for the first time in over a week. _/Leia. Hear me…/ _

AN: Big thanks to **Mei** and **Mara look-a-like** who were kind enough to review... :D

I don't currently have a computer so i've typed this up at a net cafe...  
so please excuse any errors!  
I will be going over the chapters and checking them when I get a chance - nat


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

_Hyperspace – Outer Rim_

_The Alderaan – Leia Organa Solo's personal Star Yacht_

Leia awoke as the _Alderaan_ approached the Hyperspace Marker outside the Ithor System.

She sat bolt upright in the large bed she usually shared with Han. Her eyebrows furrowed with confusion as she automatically scanned the cabin for danger, wondering what had woken her. The room was dark, still and empty. The only noise was the low hum of the air recyclers in the ceiling.

_/What woke me/_

She relaxed, lying back into the plush pillows of her bed. Reaching out tentatively with the force Leia could sense only herself and Threepio aboard her ship. She could sense no danger, although there was a slight strangeness to the way the force swirled around her that the princess couldn't quite put her finger on.

Focusing she sunk deeper and more surely into the force. The strangeness remained. It was not threatening or dangerous. Just… different. _/Perhaps I am just becoming more attuned with the force? Luke said the more I practiced the easier it would come to me…/_ Thinking of her brother, she unconsciously reached out for the dark empty place in her heart where she should have been able to feel him. It had become a reflex over the past few years, usually sensing her twin through their force bond was a source of strength and reassurance for her, but over the last week it had bought nothing but pain and loneliness.

Catching herself, she almost withdrew from the Luke-place within her before she could feel the horrible emptiness. She was too late though, and her force sense continued to reach for him. Sadness swelled in her as she waited to feel nothing, but instead his warm light reached out towards her.

Leia's breath caught in her throat, Luke had woken her. He'd called for her. He was alive!

_/Luke/_. Her fledgling force abilities pushed her joy along the bond linking her and her brother, she felt a surge of love in response. _/Thank the Force you're alright/_ Her face broke into a broad grin and she bounced a little bit up and down on her bed, (very regally of course ).

Luke's response was weak, and it was obvious he was not 100, but he seemed mostly unharmed. _/Leia! I've missed you…/_ She paused before replying, scanning him as best as she was able. She could feel no great pain or injury from him.

Leia rolled her eyes and hid her relief behind her usual sarcasm, _/YOU'VE missed me? You've been unconscious this whole time! How could you miss anyone? Do you know how WORRIED I've been/_

_/…I was not 'unconscious'… I was in a Jedi Healing trance for your information…/_

Leia smiled as his semi-retired 'whiny-Tattooine-farm-boy' tone entered his voice as she teased him. In retaliation she used her indignant-smothering-Princess voice, _/A Jedi Healing Trance! That's even worse! You were too badly hurt to stick it out? WHAT did you this time/_

_/..stop that../_

_/stop what brother dearest/_

_/teasing me!.. it's not fair! Here I am, wounded, feeble, trying to reassure you out of the kindness of my heart…/_

The whiny farm-boy was making quite the come back, Leia chuckled to herself, _/It's my duty, as your older wiser sister my sweet innocent little jedi…/_

_/Ah! Not this again! You are NOT any older Leia/_

_/Hmm.. I note you are not arguing the 'wiser' part though…/_

_/…/_

_/Luke/_

_/…Fine. YOU can be the older, wiser twin… I'll be the younger, better-looking one…/_

_/more like the younger, whinier, scruffier, delusional one./_

She felt him sigh, or shrug. _/Okay. I give up. You win Leia…/_

_/Aha! I've waited a long time for this day little brother./_

_/yes, I'm sure you have…you always were the evil twin…/_

_/Now Now Luke, don't be so juvenile. We'll have none of that./_

Another sigh. _/Yes Maam./_

_/So, where should your selfless, long-suffering elder sister come and pick you up from/_

_/um…yeah… I'm…/_

The joking tone had left his voice, he sounded a little worried and embarrassed.

Leia's voice took on a real over-protective sisterly note, _/Luke Skywalker. WHERE are you/_

_/…in a ship/_

_/…/_

_/…er.. In a Med-Bay/_

_/Is that **all** you can give me/_

_/… a Big ship?…/_

_/…/_

_/..um…well, I'm a guest of Captain Talon Karrde…He seemed familiar…/_

Leia's voice became ominously monotone, _/Talon Karrde... You… Are on a Ship. A 'big' ship. In a Med-Bay. As the GUEST OF CAPTAIN TALON KARRDE! Are. You. Insane/_

_/Aww, he seems alright to me Leia.. although after that incident with Mara he may kill me…/_

_/mara? Mara? Who's mara/_

_/oh. Umm.. no one. Forget I said anything…/_

Leia sighed, _/my brother is such a dork…/_

_/Hey! I heard that/_

_/.. opps. Sorry./_

Leia knew she was only a few hours away form landing on Dalhir and finding Han, going after Luke now wouldn't be the wisest thing to do. But leaving her accident-prone twin brother in the custody of a Pirate wasn't either. Still, he didn't sound concerned, and Luke _could_ look after himself. Sort of. And Leia had a feeling she'd need Han's help to get him back anyway. _/Are you safe Luke/_

_/Yes, for the moment Karrde and his crew seem to be treating me as a 'guest'. I've been lying in the med-bay all week. Apart from my artificial arm, which is a bit squashed, I'm healed, so I think everything is under control. That's really all I wanted to tell you anyway actually…/_

_/oh Luke! I was so worried…/_ Her voice was serious this time.

_/I'm sorry Leia, I didn't want to worry you../_

_/I know.. It's just, when I could feel you.. I thought maybe you were…you know… And then the republic made me declare you officially 'Missing, presumed Dead.'.. Oh! Wedge was so upset!…and Han and Chewie were gone… Then Borsk said all those horrible things../_

_/Slow down Leia! I've been unconscious all week remember? I'm behind on the holo's… Han and Chewie are missing/_

_/Yes, but I found them! Or at least, I've almost found them. Stuck on some dustball on the rim… I should be able to rescue that nerf-herder husband of mine in the next few hours. Hopefully by then you'll have more precise co-ordinate on your whereabouts hmm/_

_/what? The Great Leia Organa Solo herself can't plot a jump to: 'a ship..with a med-bay.. in space…somewhere'/_

Leia grinned, _/Actually, I probably could! The Great Leia Organa Solo found her Nerfer-Herder Husband Han Solo by doing just that…/_

_/what do you mean/_

_/I used the force to find Han. And it worked/_

_/wow! Really? That's great Leia! Plotting Hyperspace jumps with the force isn't easy… You have so much potential, I'm glad you're using it. /_

Leia could feel his pride at her radiating from him through the force. She smiled. _/yeah well, no reason to hold back on my Jedi-studies anymore../_

_/why/_

Leia sighed, her smiled vanishing, the Borsk- Vader controversy could wait, _/ It's a long story. Let's just say Borsk Fey'la is NOT my favourite Bothan right now../_

_/Leia! You don't actually mean… you HAVE a favourite Bothan… do you/_

A small giggle escaped her, _/no! of course not/_

_/Good luck with Han Leia. I'll comm you when I get the chance okay/_

_/Okay, be careful of Karrde Luke, he's .. not as simple as he might appear./_

Luke's presence faded to a tiny little flicker in the corner of her soul. It was a tiny thing, but she knew he was there, and that he was safe and her heart rejoiced.

She bounded out of her bed, feeling better than she had in weeks. _/Luke's alive and I'll be with Han and Chewie soon/_ Leia didn't let thoughts of the Vader scandal and Borsk Fey'la sour her mood anymore. Her family was safe and alive, and that was all she truly cared about

_The Golden Blaster – Tap-Caf of ill repute,_

_Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector (shh! It's a secret!)_

Han looked over his Lum Ale out a new grimy tap-caf window. He could see smugglers, pirates, bounty hunters and every other unpleasant sort of spacer going about their business in the narrow dusty alley outside.

He was reminded of Mos Eisely. A den of scoundrels in the middle of a desert on a third-rate outer rim dust-bowl. _/Except this place is much much worse… No Jabba though, which is nice…. And I bet you could play a good game of sabaac in a place like this…/_

They'd followed their unwitting guide's approach and found the infamous hidden Pirate Space Port of Tortugaa to be a massive sprawling city entirely encased in a deep crater in the middle of the Dalhiri Desert. It was composed of stone for the most part, and the crater walls were tunneled. Above the crater huge shield generators projected a holo shield of unbroken desert floor. It was obvious that it had been around as long as the myth's surrounding it had. Hundred's of years. The place was hidden in the most obvious sense of the word. _/Mind you, it's a micicle no ones found it with idiots like that twi-lek in the know…/_

Chewie and Han hadn't had any trouble fitting in, Han had just frowned a bit more and Chewie maintained a threatening low rumble under his breathe that had scared the tap-caf waitress, almost.

"So Chewie, shall we make some inquiries? See if we can find this Ship Yard?… subtle-like?"

Chewie sighed. Han couldn't do subtle. He continued his ominous rumbling and checked he had plenty of ammo for his bowcastor.

His companion took that for a yes, "Alright! Let's do this thing!"

_Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

_The Lucky Karrde – Republic Class Dreadnought_

The ship had landed smoothly and expertly. Impressive for a ship of it's apparent size and age. Luke wasn't sure what exactly the ship was, judging from the layout and style of the medbay it was old, at least pre-empire. Mapping it out I the force it felt almost as big as an old Republic Class Dreadnought, a little smaller than a Star Destroyer.

The NR often came across old Dreadnoughts serving sovereign systems, war lords and cargo shipping companies. The Old Republic had been in the process of introducing Star Destroyers into it's navy at the breakout of the Clone Wars, and a lot of the decommissioned older dreadnoughts had been stripped of military arms and shielding and sold to selected member systems and respectable shipping conglomerates. It was probable that Karrde had one of these.

_/I didn't know you **could** land one of these…/ _He felt a twinge of jealously that he's never gotten to try piloting something as massive as a Dreadnought into a Space Port.

He had found his clothes in a locker beside his bed and changed into them after using the tiny 'fresher.

His pants were more or less serviceable, but his outer tunic had a few tears and bad scorching over his right arm.

_/At least they cleaned them…I guess/_

With no razor he'd had to leave over a weeks growth of scratchy beard. He was a little embrassed by that. He'd never been able to grow a proper beard, he's tried once during the rebellion and the result had been patchy and inexplicably red in places.

_/At least they didn't shave my hair though…/ _

He'd had an unfortunate experience at an Outer Rim med-centre two years previously that had resulted in a buzz cut. Han had paid him out for weeks and Wedge had complimented on it a little _too_ enthusiastically.

Fifteen minutes after the ship had landed Luke still hadn't heard from anyone. So he stood silently at the viewscreen, his hands clasped behind his back and his feet a shoulders width apart, ready and waiting.. for… whatever…

He stretched out with the force. Most of the crew had disembarked. There were half a dozen in the corridor outside and a smattering of others throughout the vast ship. Mara Jade was nowhere to be found. Captain Karrde however, was heading towards his room.

Luke continued to stare out of the viewscreen, which was currently showing the innards of an impressive, if quite ancient, ship dock. Droids and mechanics crawled like tiny ants along the catwalks and around the turbolifts. It was different to any Outer Rim space port ship dock Luke had ever visited. It looked too old. The dock _the lucky karrde_ had settled into was definitely Old Republic architecture. It was huge for starters, but it had a far more decorative and well-made style to it. Not like the boxy utilitarian Imperial Space Ports that had popped up all over the Outer Rim during Palpatine's reign and certainly nothing like the ramshackle Mos Eisley. It was, however, incredibly run-down. _/Still, if this place was important enough to have a decent Space Port in the Old Republic, that means I can't be at a complete back-water…hopefully finding transport off here won't be too hard…/_

He was roused from his musings by Karrde's entrance.

He sensed disappointment. The Captain had obviously hoped his arrival would have a more dramatic impact on his 'guest'.

Luke turned and nodded casually in greeting, "Captain. Whereabouts have we landed if you don't mind me asking?"

The Captain smirked, "The Lucky Karrde's home port. On.. Dalhir…"

Luke sensed he was deeply amused by something. He started to feel uneasy. The Planet Dalhir was one at least he'd heard of. He wasn't too far from the Tion Cluster. "Dalhir? In the Merdian Sector? I didn't realise Dalhir had a space port like this."

The Captain had turned towards the door, he spun back with a flourish of his feather hat, "No one does. This is a… special sort of Space Port…"

Luke gritted his teeth, Captain Karrde's flair for the melodramatic was grating against him. "I see. Does this 'Special Space Port' have a name?"

Karrde snorted, "Why, _Tortugaa Galactic _young Skywalker." His teeth flashed very white in a fierce grin.

Luke's stomach dropped. "_Tortugaa_!" _/oh great../_

Karrde's grin remained, his sharp teeth bared, "One in the same."

Luke's composure was lost. He'd heard of Tortugaa. Heard from Han, Lando, and others of similar history. Tortugaa. The Hidden Pirate Port. _/Good thing I Leia doesn't know I'm here…/_

"But… Tortugaa is a myth!"

Karrde laughed, "A _secret_ Skywalker. There's a world of difference between a myth and secret… as I'm sure _you_ can appreciate…"

Luke ignored the obtuse remark. His mind spun as he tried to assimilate everything that had happened to him since getting into that ill-fated X-wing on the _Star of Naboo_.

/_Captain Karrde. The Lucky Karrde. Pirates. Tortugaa. Captain Karrde…..The Pirate King! The 'Scourge' of the Meridian Sector'! The one the Star of Naboo's information brief listed under 'possible threats'..The pirate all the holo's talk about!…./ _Luke Skywalker was a 'guest' of the Meridian Sectors Pirate King. "Sith!".

"Now Now Skywalker, there's no need for that. You're my _Honored Guest_." His grin had returned, it reminded Luke of a Kyrat Dragon, "I'm here to escort you to my Humble Abode." He paused, "Perhaps we can come to an agreement over dinner regarding the future of our… association."

Luke sighed, wondering how he managed to get himself into these situations. _/And where does Mara Jade fit into all this?… Pirate-Jedi/_

Mara Jade was first off the ship when it docked at Tortugaa. Anger and confusion hung around her like a black cloud. None of the other crew said anything to her as she strode away from_ The Lucky Karrde_ and up through the massive dock towards the nearest turbolift.

A hapless maintenance droid got in her way as it trundled along towards the ship behind her. She booted it off the catwalk, savoring the high pitched whistle it emitted as it sailed through the air before hitting the side of the _Lucky Karrde_ with a loud booming metallic thud. _/Stupid thing./_

She had credits to burn and a Jedi to avoid. Obviously, she was heading for the nearest Tap-Caf.

AN: Sorry that took a little bit longer than i thought.. and again, i didn't have time to check, sooo.. if anyone feels like pointing out errors.. (i'm sure there's typos.. and i have a baadd feeling i've randomly changed places names.. opps..) i would appreciate it!

Thank you to the lovely people who took the time to review. _Mara look-a-like, ginchy-amand, aznstarwarsgrl, _and _ahmira..._twice...;)

(yeah... it's true... reviews DO make me feel guilty and get off my ass and post!)

I will try to get a nice long chapter out next weekend for you!


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

_The Bantha's Head Tap-Caf, Fraali Galactic Spaceport._

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

The Princess of Alderaan subtly let her right hand drop to the lightsaber on her belt.

The Gammorean's blocking her way did not take the hint.

She lowered her left hand to rest on the blaster on her hip opposite the lightsaber. One of the gammorean's shifted a little and the other squinted. They did not seem threatened in the slightest.

Leia sighed.

Behind her she sensed the rest of the tap-caf slipping to silence as they watched.

_/great. I guess I need more than a cloak and a blaster to fit in on Dalhir…/_

She wasn't afraid, just annoyed with herself. Maybe she'd rushed things. After landing on Dalhir she'd pretty much grabbed a blaster and headed out to find Han. Now she'd have to waste time blasting her way out of the tap-caf and back to her ship to put on a better disguise _then_ start her search for Han and Chewie.

Deciding that she had wasted too much time already, Leia pouted and tapped her foot impatiently, "Well! Are you going to try and blast me or not? I'm in a hurry. I have better things to do than stand here looking at your ugly mugs all night!"

There was collective gasp from the patrons of the tap-caf. They leaned closer, anticipating an entertaining end to the tiny well-dressed offworlder-woman who dared to speak to two huge, armed, gammoreans in such a manner.

The Gammoreans themselves looked shocked, then angry. With loud unintelligible yells then rushed her, obviously deciding she deserved to be beaten to a pulp by hand rather than mercifully dealt with by a blaster shot to the head.

Calling the force around her as her brother had taught her, Leia found herself able to duck and weave around the blundering brute force of her attackers easily. Unconsciously her body twisted and turned, blocking and avoiding their blows with a Jedi's unnatural speed and grace. She let them attack her for a few minutes, trying to decide to herself whether she should pull the 'Han Solo customised' DC-120 blaster on them or the crimson lightsaber her brother had helped her make. In the end her attackers made the decision for her. The smaller of the two slipped back and pulled a massive repeater blaster on her, letting out a series of red high-powered shots at her.

Without thinking her lightsaber was in her hand, activating with a loud '_Hsss'_. Leia deflected the shots back easily. They impacted the Gammorean's head neatly one after the other, three wet thuds sending a mist of hot blood and steam onto the spectators around him as he flew across the bar and into a server droid.

With a neat back slash Leia removed the right arm of her remaining attacker, sending arm and blaster flying. He sunk to the glass strewn floor howling and clutching at his cauterised stump.

The tap-caf patrons were silent.

Leia Organa Solo's lightsaber cast an eerie hellish red glow over her dark cloaked figure. The Gammorean behind her stopped howling and sobbed pitifully, crawling forward to collect his arm. He reached for his blaster but as his fingers neared it a small white boot appeared on top of it.

He looked up at the woman holding a glowing crimson lightsaber pointed at his throat. Without a second thought the would-be mugger backed away on his knees then stood and backed towards the door nervously. As soon as it swished open behind him he was running and gone.

Leia straightened, relieved her cloak hood had stayed up, and deactivated her blade.

Turning to the barkeeper she tossed him a credit chip, trying to act cool… _/what would Han do/… _"Sorry about the mess."

The kubatz peered at the chip and nodded, before turning to right the server droid pinned under the dead gammorean.

The silence remained for a moment, then as one the patrons turned back to their own conversations. No one missed a Gammorean, and no one was gonna make trouble with a Jedi.

Leia adjusted her cloak then headed back to her ship. _/I need a disguise pronto. If anyone had recognised me…/_ Brawling in bars with a red lightsaber wasn't going to calm down the rumors Borsk Fya'la had started.

_The Golden Blaster – Tap-Caf of ill repute,_

_Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

The orange twi-lek next to her patted her shoulder understandingly.

Mara sniffed and took another sip of her drink. She choked a little at the acidic taste as it burnt her throat.

"Thanks Radan… You're a good listener.."

Radan smiled vaguely and took a drag on his pipe, "It's alright Jade, you always tell entertaining stories." He coughed a little, "Never picked you for the sort to agonise over a man though…"

Mara glared, "I'm not _agonising_ Radan, I'm… confused."

The twi-lek snorted, "Yeah, sure." He smirked, "You gonna tell me _who_ this mystery man is?"

Mara shook her head, _/I'm not that drunk…/_

The twi-lek pouted, "Karrde?"

His companion scoffed, "Not likely."

Radan grinned, "Didn't think so, not after that incident on Ord Tengol… How much brandy did the illustrious Karrde drink anyway? He must have gotten pretty fresh with you… That black eye took two weeks to fade…"

Mara finished her drink and waved to the server droid, "Karrde learnt his lesson on Ord Tengal Radan."

Her companion loaded his pipe again, "So? That navigator? The one with the scar over his cheek? The women on board seem to like him…" He paused as Mara ordered another Corellian Burn cocktail, managing to slur only slightly, "Ghent was heartbroken when that pretty blonde Med Nurse had a fling with him."

Mara rolled her eyes as she cupped her hand over her drink to put it out. "You mean Heder? That pretty boy? No chance." Gingerly Mara lifted her thumb. Satisfied her Corellian Burn had finished the 'burn' part of its name, she sipped at the bright red drink.

Radan grimaced, "How can you drink those things? They smell like speeder fuel."

Mara shrugged, the movement making her lose her balance a bit on her stool "Taste like It too.. but they sherve their purpose.."

"I can see that." Radan blinked slowly and shook his head, "Maybe I shouldn't have had that second smoke…"

Mara smiled and rested her head on the bar. "Uh-huh. Hee hee…"

Radan called the server droid back and gestured to Mara, "I'll have what the lady's having."

"hey…What happened to _'how can you drink that shtuff"_ ?"

_The Alderaan – Leia Organa Solo's personal Star Yacht_

_Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector _

She'd noticed the blinking red light the moment she'd entered the ship.

There was a comm. message, from days before. Leia frowned, wondering how she'd missed it.

Pressing the activator, a blue holo of a tall man dressed in the jacket and hat of an Old Republic Admiral for some reason appeared. _/How does this person have my personal ship's comm. codes/_

"_Greetings. My name is Captain Talon Karrde…."_

Leia rolled her eyes, _/well, that explains how he has my codes. I'm sure Karrde has access to all sorts of things he shouldn't../_

"… _I have some news of interest for you Madame Chief of State. My crew came across the wreck of Luke Skywalker's X-Wing during a trade run. Please contact me at this frequency to discuss this matter further. I have not contacted the authorities on this matter as I thought it …. appropriate you were the first to know." _The resplendently dressed man nodded respectfully, _"Talon Karrde Out."._

The blue Holo faded back into nothingness.

Leia frowned slightly. It was obvious that Talon Karrde was hoping to ransom Luke back to her, he hadn't even told Leia that he was alive in his message. Also, he hadn't let Luke use a comm. to contact her yet, and she knew he'd been awake and up all day. Karrde was probably trying to hold contacting the NR over her brother to keep him behaving.

_/If Luke and I didn't have a force bond it might have actually worked too... maybe, until Luke lost his patience…/_

Sitting down on the conform-couch in front of her ship's comm. suite, Leia tried to decide how to respond to Karrde's message. _/Should I act clueless or surprise him?… I'm not sure what Luke is planning, if he's planning anything…./_

To distract herself and give her mind time to think over her decision, the princess stood and made her way to her closet to select a disguise of some description.

Threepio followed her, "Mistress Leia? Can I be of any assistance?"

Leia waved her protocol droid off, "Not right now Threepio, thank you."

Ten minutes later Leia had decided that there was nothing in her closet that could make her look like she belonged on Dalhir. Everything was too well-made, too decorative, and mostly white. What she needed was something tatty, revealing and preferably black…

"Threepio!"

The droid appeared in the closet doorway, "Yes mistress Leia?"

"Do I own anything plain, dark and cheap looking?"

The driod tilted his golden head, "Why, no Mistress Leia. You wardrobe aboard the _Alderaan_ consists primarily of diplomatic gowns in shades of white, pale blue and silver. The casual pieces and other clothing you have are also of the best quality. You have nothing 'tatty' or 'cheap looking'…. to my understanding of your meaning, that is Mistress Leia."

Leia sighed, "That's what I thought… Well, there's no way I'm going to fit in on this rock…"

Threepio waited to see if she required any more of his help.

She fingered her lightsaber, remembering how the patrons in the tap-caf had given her wide berth after she'd used it. "Well, if I'm gonna stand out, maybe I should at least make sure I stand out in a threatening way… I'd waste less time with thugs like those gammoreans…"

Threepio let out something like a gasp, "Oh! Gammoreans! Horrid creatures! Terribly violent and very primitive! I do suggest you stay away from their kind Princess Leia."

Leia smiled, "Thank you for your concern threepio, I'll try." She pulled out a white body suit of the sort she'd favoured during the rebellion. "Now, to make myself stand out…"

_An Alley, Tortugaa Galactic Space Port,_

Dalhir, Meridian Sector

"Whadda you _mean_ you aren't gonna talk to the likes of us?"

The Rodian hissed something very insulting in Han's direction.

The Corellian pretended to look outraged, "Well I never! Chewie, ask him where the Ship Yard is… Rodian Bounty Hunters… scum…"

Chewbacca bared his teeth and advanced on the cowering bounty hunter.

"No! Wait! Wait! Don't set the wookie on me!" He glanced at Han pleadingly, "I'll remember where it is now!"

Han smirked, "well good. Enlighten us."

Chewie paused.

The Rodian was backed up against a wall, "The ship yards over on the western edge. In the caverns… It's very heavily gaurded though, Captain Karrde keeps his personal collection in there."

Han frowned, "Karrde? So he's in charge of Tortugaa?"

"You didn't _know_that! Of course Captain Karrde is in charge! This is _his_ port! He took over years ago…"

"Interesting. I imagine he doesn't take well to strangers right bounty hunter?"

The Rodian nodded.

"Well, I suppose we should go pay our respects, right Chewie?"

The Wookie shrugged.

"Okay Rodian, beat it."

"Okay Chewie, Let's go get a drink. Karrde will send us a welcoming committee soon enough."

Chewie grumbled sceptically, _"Are you sure this is a good idea Han?"_

"Sure I'm sure. All my ideas are good."

_Tortugaa Palace – Home of Talon Karrde_

_Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Luke tried not to panic. He really did. But the moment he crossed into Karrde's opulent Palace, He'd lost his connection to the force.

Outwardly the only sign of this was a miniscule hesitation mid-step as he crossed the threshold into a Grand Entrance Hall.

Karrde's eyes where trained on him with an intensity that disturbed the Jedi. _/He's doing it. He's watching to see my reaction… How is he doing this/_

Meeting Karrde's eyes Luke raised an eyebrow in query, trying to seem unaffected.

Without the force to help him however, the pain from his near-healed wounds from his x-wing returned. The throb in his arm suddenly tripled, and the pain in his ribs whenever he drew a breath intensified.

His host looked a little disappointed, "I've had dinner laid out in the smaller dinner hall... I'm sure you are famished after you week in a…" he paused, pretending to need to think about it, "What was it Mara Jade called it?.. Ah! Yes! 'Jedi Healing Trance'.. intriguing idea. The force heals you does it Jedi?"

Luke nodded, noticing he felt slightly light-headed. "More or less. The force can help accelerate a Jedi's healing."

A servant droid was leading them through a series of halls lined with statues and holos that looked as fine as those Luke Skywalker had seen in the lower levels of the Imperial Palace. Like the Spaceport, Karrde's Palace looked very old. He wondered how long Tortugaa had been here and if it had always been under a pirate's control.

Eventually they ended up in a rather large dining hall.

Despite his throbbing arm and a building ache in his head, Luke was impressed by the beauty of the room, "wow."

The ceiling was vaulted and gilt and the furniture delicately carved wood, polished to a dark gleam. Marble columns lined the walls and in the alcove between each hung actual framed paintings, not holos.

Luke had only seen a few real paintings, they were rare even in the museums of Coruscant. These ones were a set of some sort. Each showed a young woman in elaborate regal costume in a variety of settings ranging from palatial interiors to lush gardens. Luke walked up to the nearest one for a closer look. For some reason the girl pictured, in a costume so rich it made Leia's ball gowns seem plain, was oddly familiar. From beneath her jewelled headdress, her brown eyes seemed to convey some special meaning to Luke, although her painted face betrayed no emotion. _/She looks.. familiar…Is there a painting of her in the Imperial Palace?…/_

Unconsciously Luke tried to reach into the force and read some deeper meaning into the painting. The fuzzy void that greeted him almost made him retch. His face went white, he'd never been blocked from the force before. Even as an untrained boy he'd subconsciously felt it surrounding him, now there was nothing. He swallowed thickly and took a deep breath.

Karrde smiled proudly, "Lovely aren't they? Some are hundreds of years old, authentic Nabooian, Very rare. Got them from the Royal Palace of Theed…" He paused to look at Luke smugly, "…The Elected Queens of Naboo. Pretty things aren't they? Although, that one there," He gestured to the teenage girl staring solemnly at Luke from the canvas, "… she was one of the last ones, was something of warrior queen according to quaint Naboo myth… ' he gave a little mocking laugh, '…Queen something-or-rather. Died during the clone wars."

The paintings lost their beauty in Luke's eyes as he realised that they had been stolen from their rightful owners. Looted from the walls of whichever Nabooian Palace they'd originally decorated. _/Karrde probably killed their rightful owners… or descendants…/_ A wave of disgust at Karrde filled him.

He looked at his host coldly, clasping his hands behind his back, ignoring the stab of pain from his arm, "Truly beautiful. They remind me of some that decorated Jabba the Hutt's palace on Tattooine…And I believe there are similar ones in the _imperial_ collection… no doubt Palatine took first pick…"

Karrde's eyes flashed at the insult.

"Yes, Jabba had some interesting pieces I'm told… Why, your own _sister_ and Han Solo were counted amongst his collection for a time were they not?"

Luke felt a growing tide of dark anger within himself, gritting his teeth he tried to let it flow through him, despite his inability to touch the force. _/Again he calls Leia my sister… how does he know that? Or is he guessing… Only Han and Chewie know…/_

Karrde smirked, "And of course the Imperial Collection was second to none… It contained you hand and father's lightsaber for a time did it not?"

A flash of phantom pain shot through Luke's artificial hand at Karrde's words. Still, years later, after all that had happened, memories of Bespin and the mistakes he had made there, and the wound his father had dealt him, physically and mentally, struck a deep painfully chord within him. Without the force, Luke Skywalker was having difficulty maintaining his Jedi Calm. _/This headache isn't helping either…/_

_Fraali Galactic Spaceport, Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

_The Millenium Falcon – Modified YT-1300 Corellian Freighter _

Ignoring the curious, awestruck or nervous stares of the nearby Dalhiri, Leia punched the access code into the console next to the Falcon's ramp and headed inside.

She knew Han wasn't inside, she could feel him miles away, out in the middle of the desert according to her maps of Dalhiri, _/Doing god knows what…/_

Hopefully there would be a clue as too what her husband was up to in the middle of a desert, on an Outer Rim dustbowl, in his ship somewhere.

Leia sighed.

The Falcon looked like someone had ransacked it.

Access panels lay on the floor, the ships innards poking out in tangled masses of wiring from the gaping holes they left.

Tools, spare parts and a wielding shield helmet sat in the co-pilots over-sized seat. The comm. suite was in pieces across the rest of the instrument console, "Well, that explains why he never called."

Leia cleared some of wires and sat down in her husband's chair. Her fingers ran through her hair, she was unused to having it down. _/Usually Han is the only one who sees my hair out…/_

She allowed her mind to drift for a moment.

_/Okay Leia! Time to drag that husband of yours out of whatever trouble he's gotten into! Then, do the same for that brother of yours…/_

It took a few minutes, but eventually Leia had entered the light meditative state she'd been in when she'd first felt Han and Chewie on Dalhir. She could feel the swirl of the force around her, like a light that glowed from the centre of her body. Outside she could sense curious Dalhiri. In the corner of her mind, like figures just outside of her view, she could feel Han and Luke, it felt like if she turned her head she'd see them. Stretching out her senses she focused on the warm pull of her husband. She felt herself flying over the bustling, violent Fraali Space Port and away over the sand dunes. The desert seemed endless, almost as harsh as the Dune Sea of Tattooine. Pushing away worry that she'd find Han collapsed in a head on a dune somewhere, she let the force pull her. Suddenly the sand seemingly vanished.

A wide crater filled with a massive sprawling city/space port appeared before her. Her attention was caught by a huge Old Republic Class Dreadnought. It's massive length ran half the width of the crater city. She'd never seen a dreadnought docked on a planet before. Before she had time to think further she fell.

The scene before her swirled and suddenly turned black.

She could hear a woman's voice.

Focusing on it, she let the force guide her to its source.

A tall beautiful woman stood next to an orange twi-lek with one lekku. She was yelling at Han. Chewie stood nearby looking confused.

The woman emptied a vibrant red drink _/Corellian Burn..Ugh../_ onto Han.

Chewie sniggered. The orange Twi-lek pulled a mean looking blaster out and pointed the business end at him.

The wookie pulled down his loaded bowcaster.

Han glared darkly at the woman for a moment and then his DC-40 appeared in his hand as if by magic.

The woman had somehow already pulled out her own blaster.

The four figures all glared, the woman, Han and the twi-lek were all swaying slightly. _/drunken blaster fight./_ They appeared unaware that they all stood in each other's crossfire.

Chewie woofed something, Han frowned, and then the woman and the twi-lek's blasters flew out of their hands.

Leia felt a shock of surprise as she saw herself enter the scene, scowling.

She half heard herself say something when a tearing pain ripped through her, distracting her. Her mind was agony and her grip on the force failed. With a sickening lurch Leia snapped out of her vision.

Her stomach reeled and her head spun.

The blood in her veins seemed to have turned to ice cold sludge.

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Spots danced before her eyes and she gasped. _/what's wrong? What happened?.. it hurts/_

Breathing heavily she tried to push the pain away. _/When did I end up on the floor?../_

The pain was fading, but her brain felt muddled. When she felt able she reached out gingerly with the force. Instantly she realised what the tearing pain had been. _/Luke! He's gone again!…/_

But it felt a hundred times worse than when he'd slipped from her force sense the week before. There hadn't been so much pain, such a rending ripping agony.

_/oh gods! He's dead! No/_

Vaguely she noticed that she was making a keening wailing sound.

_/Luke/_

Half an hour later Leia returned to her senses. She was still laying on the cockpit floor of the _Falcon._ She still could not sense Luke. She wasn't sure she could make herself move. She wasn't sure she wanted to.

_/Han. Han still needs me./_

There was a nagging feeling. Leia did not have time to mourn her twin. Han needed her. _/I can't lose them both… besides… maybe.. maybe Luke's just unconscious… maybe…/_

She made her way to the Falcon's fresher to tidy herself up then headed out into Fraali Space Port. _/I need a speeder. I have to get to that hidden Space Port…/_

_The Golden Blaster – Tap-Caf of ill repute,_

_Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Radan blinked drunkenly and stared at the floor.

Mara Jade was crouched at his feet beside her overturned barstool. Her eyes were squeezed shut and she was making a low groaning sound. _/sounds like she's dying or something… I've never heard Mara Jade make a noise that implied pain…/_

They'd been singing a particularly rousing rendition of 'Hey Ho and a Bottle of Lum' with the rest of _The Golden Blaster_'s clientele when Jade had let out a weird ear-piercing yelping sound and fallen off her stool. In the revelry, no one save Radan had noticed.

Steadying himself on the edge of the bar, the twi-lek carefully got off his stool and slowly crouched down beside his fellow _Lucky Karrde_ privateer. "Jade? You alright?"

Up close, Radan was able to see she was shaking minutely. Her silence worried him, "Jade?…. Too many Coreeelian.. Correllian… Birns?.. I mean, Corellian Burns?" He allowed himself a nice long blink_ /I've definitely had too many… urh… I remember why I hate them now…/_

With tremendous effort Radan focused on Mara Jade again. "Jade?" The Tap-Caf had finished their singing for now. In the slightly quieter atmosphere he could make out words in between Mara's groaning. "ahh… dead…. Dead… last mission… urg.. hurts….over now…ahhh! No!… no… can't make me…. Can't do it.. he's dead…. Karrde… mmm….no more…not….mission com…plete…ed…nothing..ahhh..left..to..do..oh force!.. why does it hurt?.." She looked up, her big green eyes filled with tears.

The last bit seemed to be addressed to him so Radan tried to think of a response. "Um. It's.. kay.. Jade… Com'ere… you need to sit down, tha's all…"

Unsteadily he helped Mara to her feet and headed towards the nearest booth.

Seeing a Wookie staring at Jade from the dark depths of the booth he smoothly directed his companion to the next one along.

Gathering himself up a little, so as to appear threatening, and less inebriated, he bellowed at the dead beat spacers using it, "MOVE!"

Those seated at the table glared at him for a moment, but then grudgingly moved. The members of Karrde's crew were well know around the Port, and Mara Jade, being his First Mate and 'One Mean Lady' booked much respect, even if she was sobbing into a Corellian Burn. Radan stared at the drink, _/hey! When she pick tha up again/_

Shrugging to himself, Radan propelled Mara into a seat and waved at a server droid,_ /On second thoughts, Maybe I haven't had 'nuff Coreeelian.. Corralian.. Corellian Burny thingys…/_

_AN:_

Thanks for the reviews! And sorry again for any errors…here's hoping i get a working comp. and home soon so i can stop hanging round netcafes!


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

_The desert…somewhere… a long, long way from Fraali Galactic Spaceport,  
but not too far from Tortugaa.)  
Dalhir, Meridian Sector._

Leia glanced down at the blinking nav screen mounted on the instrument panel of her 'borrowed' Speeder Bike. _/According to what that idiot one-lekkued Twi-lek told me, Tortugaa is only half an hour or so away…. Oh force! What am I doing? Stealing Speeder Bikes to go looking for the hidden Pirate Space Port of Tortugaa?…./_ She sighed to herself. _/Typical… where else on this rock would Han be?….Nerf-Herder…/_

"I'm gonna make that Corellian wish he'd never been born!"

_The Golden Blaster – Tap-Caf of ill repute,  
_B_ooth next to Mara Jade and Radan Friluna,  
Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Chewie took a hearty swig of the bucket-sized 'glass' of Lum Ale before him.

Across the uneven tabletop Han Solo was waving madly at a serving droid. "That girl had a Corellian Burn! Haven't had one of them in _years!_ Now seems as good a time as any…"

The girl he was referring to was sobbing and moaning despondently in the booth behind them. The male twi-lek with her, (Chewie could tell from his scent that it was the illustrious cousin their unwitting guide had referred to earlier.), had just ordered four of the red cocktails that had gotten Han so excited.

The Corellian didn't appear to have noticed that their ticket to meeting Karrde and finding the Ship Yard was right behind them.

Chewie sighed a long-suffering sigh.

Han was cheerfully ordering two Corellian Burns from a server droid.

Waiting patiently until his companion had finished, Chewie let out an attention grabbing bark. Han dutifully raised his eyebrows in query.

"_The cousin of the idiot twi-lek is sitting behind us. He has one lekku and I just heard the sobbing human female call him 'Radan'."_

Han smirked, "Excellent! We'll have to introduce ourselves don't you think?"

Chewie wasn't sure that was a good idea.

The server droid appeared with Han's drinks. Grinning like a maniac, Han picked them up and stood, motioning with his head for Chewie to follow. "Let's go charm us some pirates Chewie old buddy…"

Sighing again Chewbacca dutifully stood, preparing to follow Han Solo into another avoidable mess. _"For the record, this was YOUR idea Han Solo…"_

Han grinned, "Chewie, remember, all my ideas are good… We have _nothing_ to worry about. Trust me."

"_I'll be sure to remind you of that when we find ourselves in a Pirate's Dungeon in the midst of Tortugaa…"_

"Ah, chill buddy, it'll be fine. Now, act _casual…"_

Wriggling his way out of the booth, Chewie followed Han over to the booth next door. The human female had stopped crying and was sitting with her forehead resting on the table. Her twi-lek companion was attempting to put out his drinks.

Han sidling over to him, "It's all in the wrist…" he put his own burning cocktails down next to the Twi-lek's, "You gotta slap your palm down, quick-like." He demonstrated on one. His hand cupped the glass and the flaming liquid inside extinguished with an audible _Pop._

Impressed, his audience, (the human had half raised her head) made "Oooo!" noises. The woman spoke in a slurred Coruscanti accent, "I didn't know they made a pop…" She frowned for a moment then let her head return to the plasteel tabletop with a thud.

Han smiled winningly, "Well, I _am_ Corellian. They teach us in school."

The woman made no attempt to respond. Her companion laughed too loudly.

The twi-lek, who was apparently drunk enough to take advice from a stranger in a tap-caf, despite being a feared pirate, (Chewie had heard his exchange with the previous patrons of their booth), bit his lip in concentration and mimicked Han. On his second attempt the drink extinguished with a soft pop.

Han slapped him on the back and congratulated him.

The twi-lek slid along the bench seat and motioned for Han to join him.

Chewie waited, he certainly wasn't going to fit on the bench next to Han and a Twi-lek.

Radan leant across the table, "Mara! Make room for the Wookie eh?"

The red-gold tangle of hair raised itself and green eyes glared in Chewie's direction, but eventually slid across to the wall for Chewie.

Carefully and politely lowering himself onto the crowded bench, Chewie got a whiff of the woman's scent.

There was something familiar about it…

Across the table Han and the twi-lek were getting on like best buddies. Han was currently telling an embellished story about a run-in he'd had with Imperials at Star's End. Chewie didn't like the story. It made it seem as if Han had rescued_ him_. _/That has only ever happened ONCE…/_

The woman raised her head blearily, started a little at finding herself seated next to a Wookie and took a sip of her drink.

With the movement Chewbacca caught the familiarity of her scent again. _"Han! There is something familiar about this woman…. I smell someone on her…"_

Han frowned.

Radan raised his eyebrows, "What'd he say?"

Han stalled, "Ahh.. he said he wants me to buy him a drink. Sure thing buddy, what'd ya want?"

Chewie knew Han meant the question as an opening for him to explain himself, _"I smell someone on her… I can't place it…"_

Han nodded, "Um.. sure, well, let me know when you decide okay?"

He turned to Radan and smiled lopsidedly, "Wookies!".

The twi-lek laughed drunkenly.

Mara took another sip of her drink.

She sighed and rubbed her eyes. Again she started, this time at seeing Han.

Her mouth dropped open and she gasped.

Chewie had the good sense to mutter, _"I told you this was a bad idea."_

_Tortugaa Palace – Home of Talon Karrde  
Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Luke wasn't sure how long he'd been in the 'bedroom'.

He remembered spending an unpleasant meal in Captain Karrde's company, trying very hard to control his temper, especially since without the force there was precious little he could achieve anyway.

The food had smelt very good but Luke, despite being famished, had eaten sparely. Force-blind he couldn't sense if the food was drugged.

_/Obviously it was… ahh… my head… I think I'm getting weaker, not better…/_

His arm was much worse than it had been when he'd been so pleasantly awoken by Mara Jade aboard the _Lucky Karrde. _His elbow where the artificial part of his limb met the real felt swollen, and the throbbing ache he'd felt since awaking had grown much worse. The young Jedi had assumed he'd strained the delicate muscle/wiring connections running through the flesh of his arm. The damage hadn't seemed too bad.

With the force to prevent inflammation of the tissue around the jarred foreign implants, the damage to the connection was minimal. He'd intended to use the force to keep it from infection until he got back to Coruscant or a med-centre equipped to deal with such repairs. Since entering Karrde's force-blinded Palace however, the pain had grow steadily worse.

Luke had a bad feeling that infection was setting in. His brain rattled of a clam explaination, _/It's natural for my arm to reject foreign implants without drugs or suppressants of some sort… when they were carefully interwoven into the tendons and muscle my immune system couldn't tell them from my natural arm… now.. I can feel wires and synthflesh digging to the tissues… every time I move it's damaging my arm further… causing more inflammation… I need to see a surgeon… soon.. or at least get access to the force to slow the disintegration…."_

Gingerly Luke let his left arm encircle his right bicep. The skin felt hot and a throb of pain flew from where his digits made contact with his flesh. _/the infection is definitely spreading. My upper arm was only slightly tender when I woke up…./_

Without the force there was very little that Luke Skywalker could so to improve his condition however.

Thoughts of his weakness and increasing physical ailment only served to depress him further.

He sighed, _/at least Leia knows who has me.. if worse comes to worse she'll get me out of here…/_

Letting his blue eyes slip closed, Luke drifted into a feverish sleep haunted by Mara Jade's green eyes and Leia's crimson lightsaber. He could almost here Obi-wan Kenobi's voice telling him to be strong, to trust in the force….

_The Golden Blaster – Tap-Caf of ill repute,  
_B_ooth next to Mara Jade and Radan Friluna,  
Tortugaa Galactic Space Port, Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Mara could hear voices. Two men. Both were familiar.

_/I must have dozed off…/_

Her head still throbbed from when she'd felt Luke Skywalker's death earlier, but the mind-numbing pain that had left her gasping on the floor had faded. Mostly.

_/Not that I care about Skywalker. It's Good he'd dead…. Really…/_ Stubbornly Mara ignored the part of her heart that was crying, mourning for her enemy.

_/The Emperor's Last Command has been fulfilled, he has had his vengeance... Through Karrde…/_ Mara knew that her boss had to be the one who'd killed the Jedi, and surprisingly she felt anger towards him. She wanted to make him pay for hurting Skywalker. _/It's only because he killed him… He stole my last mission… that's why I want to get back at him… It's not because I want revenge…/_

It took a lot of will power to make herself believe that one. Mara Jade knew that she'd had… 'confusing' feelings when it came to Luke Skywalker… _That_ was why she wanted to hurt her boss and some-time friend Talon Karrde. Because she was angry that he'd hurt someone she… _/what? Liked? Loved! I didn't even KNOW the man… I just need another drink…that's all…/_

Forcing herself to open her eyes, Mara was surprised to find herself seated at _The Golden Blaster_ next to a mountain of fur. _/A wookie. Right.../ _She frowned to herself, _/Don't remember ever being friends with a wookie…/_

Shaking her surprise off she took a grateful swig of Corellian Burn.

She was caught of guard by a wave of grief. Hiding her face again she squeezed her eyes shut. _/I don't care about Skywalker. I don't care about Skywalker…I'm not sad he's dead…/_

After a minute she was able to block her emotions again and raised her head to retrieve her cocktail.

As she sipped the warm red spirit, her eyes caught Radan's new friend across the table.

She almost choked.

Beside her the wookie rumbled.

_/Wookie…/_

She stared directly up at the wookie's brown furred face.

Before she could stop herself her mouth had ran ahead of her brain, "HAN SOLO? CHEWBACCA?"

Leaping to her feet, stumbling only slightly, she pointed accusingly at Radan, "Are. You. INSANE RADAN?"

Radan's eyes widened and he glanced from Solo to the Wookie and back again. After a moment his eyes widened in recognition.

"Oh! OH! I didn't know!"

Solo slouched back against the booth's dividing wall, "Well, you know, Chewie and I, we don't like to brag… Besides, I prefer to go incognito these days…" He grinned, "You know, the wife can scare people a bit… Lead to… Misunderstandings…" his grin vanished, " If you know what I mean."

Radan's mouth was opening and closing rapidly, all that seemed to be coming out of it was "Oh! But..but..but..but…"

Mara glared, trying not to sway where she stood.

Her outburst had gained some attention in the noisy Tap-Caf. "Misunderstanding? There's no misunderstanding. No one comes to Tortugaa unless Karrde lets them in." She smirked, "You're not gonna get outta here alive _General Han Solo._"

Chewbacca stood abruptly, towering twice as tall as Mara. His arms crossed.

Han sighed, "Look lady, I didn't come here as a 'General'. I resigned from that six months ago. Chewie and I ended up here through coincidence." He grinned, "But I must admit, I _was_ curious to hear about this place from Radan here's," he gestured at he orange Twi-lek, "… idiot cousin."

Radan shook his head mournfully, "Why, _why_ did I tell that idiot about tortugaa!"

Mara's eyes narrowed, "Your cousin? Radan? You've been letting people in on the Crater without Karrde's okay?" She shook her head, "He's not gonna be happy with you Radan… and your cousin, well, you'd better find him and blast off this rock while you still can…"

Radan swallowed.

Mara turned her attention to Solo and Chewbacca, "Now you two, you're gonna have to come with me."

Han stood and walked away from the booth.

He wanted to meet with Karrde, not get thrown in a dungeon.

Chewbacca followed.

"Solo! Don't you _dare_ walk away from me! No one sneaks into Tortugaa and gets out alive!"

The other pirates and bounty hunters in the tap-caf where all listening. Mara knew that they'd back her up if needs be.

Solo ignored her. Impulsively Mara picked up a Corellian Burn and hurled it at Solo's back. He froze.

After a few seconds he turned back to her, "That. Was….my favourite shirt…".

"I can do a lot worse Solo…"

He just sneered, "Honestly, You think a back-water Tap-caf full of third rate privateers is gonna scare us?…" He crossed his arms, "Give it a rest already. Chewie and I've seen things that'd make your _toes curl._"

Chewbacca had joined him where he stood a few meters from Mara. Near the bar.

Mara let out loud laugh, the only sign she'd had too much to drink, "You've seen things that would make _my_ toes curl?" She rolled her eyes. "Unlikely Solo."

The smuggler-turned-Rebel traitor raised an eyebrow, "Oh really? And what've you seen that'd make _my_ toes curl girly?"

Chewie sighed, thinking they sounded like arguing children_. 'Toes curling?._

Mara smirked, "Well… you as a wall decoration for one thing Solo."

The Corellian's face dropped a little.

Mara continued, "and that pretty princess of yours dancing like a harem girl for Jabba… She sure knew what she was doing Solo… Did _you_ teach her that? Or was it part of the Rebel Alliances' Officer training?"

Those that were listening in on the conversation laughed menacingly.

Suddenly Han, Radan, Mara and Chewbacca were all pointing blasters and bowcaster at each other.

Silence descended and it looked like Mara Jade's question would go unanswered.

A clear regal voice cut through the thick silence in _The Golden Blaster, _"Well well, if it isn't _Arica,_ Jabba's favourite dancer herself…."

Mara's eyes widened in disbelief, _/Who?… No one but my master knew my cover…/_

Across the tap-caf stood a petite blonde woman dressed in a white armoured body suit.

On her hip was a large DC-120 Blaster, and in her hand was a lightsaber that glowed crimson.

She smirked in a way that reminded Mara irritatingly of Solo, "I've come for Solo and the Wookie… But I have no qualms playing with you …_ privateers_… if anyone feels like interfering…" She paused, "I haven't dismembered anything but Gammorean's today…._so_ uncivilised…"

Mara heard someone whisper near the doorway, _"Jex and Rak got cut-up this morning in the Bantha by a Jedi…"_

The murmuring spread. It appeared the rumour about the two imbecile Gammoreans was not new to most of _The Golden Blaster's_ clientele.

_/Oh Sith. Of ALL the people to run into… She's probably Skywalker's girlfriend…/_

Oddly, the thought that Skywalker had a blonde Jedi girlfriend made it much easy to rejoice over his death.

**AN:** thank you for the reviews! Ginchy-amanda, Tamuril Sails, Missredkat, ahmaira and especially 1e0nidas for her lovely message! (I hope that cleared up the whole arm thing.. :D)

Again… I'm still stuck in a netcafe.. (dammit!) so please excuse typos!

This is shorter than i would usually post, so sorry...longer chapter next week!


	10. Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 Somewhere in Talon Karrde's Palace 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Dinner had gone very well as far as Talon was concerned.

He'd been gracious and threatening at the same time. The food had been impressive, and Skywalker's portions so laced with sedatives that even the token amount he'd eaten would be enough to keep him unconscious for a week. _/Well, it will here at least. Those lizards really seem to work… I wonder how much the moffs would give me for a few?.. Or the Hutts…/_ A smile spread across his face _/…Skywalker has so many enemies/_

Karrde indulged himself, imagining a black market bidding war for the mysterious lizards. ('Guaranteed to render a jedi helpless!'). If he could attract the right _sort_ of buyer, he'd make a fortune.

The wall in front of him supported a bank of holo screens. Some showed different parts of his palace, important areas of the _Lucky Karrde's_ dock, and a few hotspots in Tortugaa that he liked to keep an eye on.

He flicked the controls of the centre display, and the largest holo, which had been showing a brawl in _The Golden Blaster_ or _The Dead Vippet_, (Karrde didn't really care which, there was always a fight in one of them, which was why he had them monitored, for entertainment purposes.), dissolved into a shower of blue pixels.

It reformed to show a figure tossing and turning feverishly on a large bed.

Karrde smirked. 'Oh, those lizards are _defiantly _worth a few million credits each!'

He stared at the jedi sleeping in one of the 'guest' suites downstairs. _/I should take a recording of this as proof that the lizards work…/_

A thought struck him, _/I can send it to the Chief of State! 'Oh Madam Chief of State, you brother is too ill to be moved.. or use the Comm. We'll have to arrange for him to be collected soon I fear… He requires urgent medical attention/_

His smirk turned into a grin. Organa-Solo would be eager to get her brother back as quickly as possible with such an incentive. Sure she'd probably be suspicious, but what choice would she have but to pay up? _/No matter the cost…/_

Pleased with the way fate was smiling upon him, Karrde called the protocol droid that had been hovering in the room behind him.

'Get my masseuse. I'll be in my rooms.'

The silver droid inclined its head, 'Certainly Sir.'

He headed off towards his bedchamber then added as an after thought, 'And no disruptions this evening please.'

The door slid shut behind him before he heard the droid's response.

'The Golden Blaster' – Tapcaf of ill Repute 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Leia stared at her husband. He looked a bit bedraggled, but then, he always did. She gently felt him out in the force, trying to see if he was alright. She fumbled around for a moment, but wasn't sure how to do that exactly. Giving up, she gave him a once over like a normal wife.

He _looked _alright.

Well, he _was_ pointing his blaster at a pretty red-head and dripping a red substance onto the dirty floor… But Leia wasn't overly concerned, even from a distance, she could identify the remnants of a Corellian Burn. She resisted an urge to gag at an unpleasant flashback involving a night out with Han that ended in the 'fresher early in the morning.

Han looked angry, but the girl facing him looked even angrier. She also seemed to have a larger blaster. A tingle in the force reached out for Leai. _/And I think she's got another hidden on her arm…/_

Chewie was facing off against a twi-lek with a missing lekku. Leia frowned,_ /what is with one-lekkued twi-lek on this rock/_.

It wasn't that Leia was worried about the woman and the twi-lek, Han and Chewie were more than capable of looking after themselves in a bar brawl. But the rest of the spacers and pirates in the tap-caf looked ready to join in at a moments notice. She didn't like Han and Chewie's odds.

Unless she wanted to have to hack through everyone in the bar, they were going to have to get out, quick.

Taking advantage of the surprise her sudden arrival had caused, she reached out a hand yanked the Twi-lek and the woman's weapons out of their hands with the force.

Well, attempted to.

The twi-lek stared dumbfounded as his blaster sailed effortlessly across the room towards her out-stretched hand. But the nasty looking blaster in the girl's hands just jerked a bit and Leia felt a strong shove of the force push her away.

Trying her best (she _was_ a diplomat) to hide her shock, she automatically batted the twi-lek's blaster to the ground with her lightsaber, where it landed in two smouldering pieces. A second later her old rebellion training kicked back in. If her lightsaber had ruptured the fuel cell, the blaster would have exploded in her face. A spark of nervousness shot through her. _/I'm no jedi! And I haven't done anything like this since the war…I'm rusty… I really need to get Luke to train me more... before my luck runs out.../_

Han glanced at her and let out a laugh at the twi-lek, but it was a rather confused one. Leia glared at him _/don't tell me he's too drunk to recognise his own wife/_

Chewie was woofing appreciatively, but he'd recognised her instantly.

Leia raised her eyebrow and watched as recognition washed over Han's face, then shock and relief. She could almost hear his mind working furiously to make sense of the situation.

Focusing back on the twi-lek and his companion, Leia reached out with the force and tried again to pull the blaster from the woman's grasp.

Nothing.

The woman's cold green eyes narrowed.

Leia felt as though she was pushing against a permacrete wall. The woman's strength took her by surprise, it was almost like training with Luke. She redoubled her efforts, her hand reaching out in front of her as she pulled at the blaster with the force.

The blaster shook in her opponent's firm grasp, and for a split second she looked almost surprised, then her pretty face split into an arrogant smirk.

Leia let out a little gasp as the cold, emotionless push of her opponent's will turned hot with anger.

"That's not gonna work on me, _jedi_" She practically spat the last word out, her hatred glowing in the force.

For a moment Leia was afraid, she hadn't felt such hatred since the war. A small part of her brain registered that it was more than straight hatred, there was jealousy in there too. But before she had time to analyse it further she felt an enormous pressure, like a blast of gale-force wind, and found herself flying backwards. Her arms flailed wildly, her jedi's grace abandoning her and she landed on a table with enough force to break the top. Her head spun as it connected with the hard composite material, then the floor. Distantly she felt relief at having managed to avoid landing on her lightsaber.

Around her she felt pirates reaching for her, drawing their weapons. Her ears were ringing, the laughter coming from all around her sounding dim in her mind. A feeling of danger ran through her and she managed to bring her lightsaber up in time to deflect a blaster shot. Ale dregs and t'bac ash clung to her clothes, her hair and her skin as she stood quickly, ignoring the blossoming throb and dizziness the movement brought her head.

The crowd around her pressed in, trampling the remnants of the table. Taking a deep breath Leia started swinging. She was dizzy, her head was killing her and the smell of stale lum ale coating her face was making her feel nauseas. Her blade flew with less than jedi skill, the figures it cut through the air rudimentary. But as soon as people started losing limbs, however artlessly, the press of bodies fell back.

Leia scanned the faces, looking for a mountain of fur and her husband.

An arm grabbed her and pulled her back between the press of bodies. She de-activated her lightsaber and let herself be dragged, ready to punch whoever it was. Then she felt herself pressed against a wall of ale-scented fur.

Han motioned in the direction of the door with his head, but Leia could feel eyes on them. They weren't exactly blending in.

She shook her head, Han rolled his eyes.

Ignoring him, she turned away from the exit and looked for the twi-lek and the red-headed girl.

A pirate went flying across the bar and the girl moved into view. "Nice try _jedi._ But you _must _know, you _must _have felt it. You're too late. He's dead…' She paused waving her blaster in the direction of Han and Chewie, 'And these two were just on their way to meet him."

The words hung true in the air of the bar. Dread swept through Leia, stealing her strength, _/I don't think she's lying… Maybe something really did happen to Luke…/_

The crowd laughed appreciatively, Leia caught a lone voice amongst the din, "Yeah! No one leaves Tortugaa alive!"

The girl crossed her arms, "That's right. Karrde's Law. You aren't going anywhere..."

Leia noticed how everyone in the tap-caf looked to follow her lead. Making a sudden judgement call, she impulsively grabbed at the serving droid dithering near the bar with the force and flung it at the girl.

Taken by surprise, she didn't quite manage to get out of it way. Leia smiled as _she_ went flying, _/payback./_. The red-head crashed into the mirrored grass shelves lining the bar. She didn't get up.

No one moved.

Sensing now was the time to leave, Han once more took his wife by the arm, "Well, we'll be off then."

With Chewie leading the way, they quickly made for the door.

The 'Guest Wing' Talon Karrde's Palace 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Luke awoke with a start.

The room around him was dark and the air had an artificial chill. On some level he relished it against his burning skin.

He was disorientated, his mind muddled with the effects of a fever. For a few seconds he actually thought that he was still in his x-wing, drifting through space. 'Artoo?…' He listened for his droid's response for a moment. Silence.

When reality set in he quickly scanned his surroundings, relying on his eyes and ears for the first time in years. Slowly rising to sit upon the soft bed of his lavish prison, he peered around him.

He was alone. No Artoo. No X-wing. Certainly no cockpit viewscreen full of stars.

Succumbing to the ache in his bones and dizziness in his head he collapsed back into his pillows. _/Uhhh..Too fast./_ His head throbbed and a wave of nausea rose in him. _/I shouldn't show weakness, I know that Karrde's watching me...I don't need the force to know there's holo-cams everywhere… And besides, if I move too quickly, I think I might pass out…/_

For a few minutes Luke's mind wandered. He thought about Karrde, and how he'd misjudged him. _/Han's right, I am too trusting.. / _He thought about the mysterious painting of the Queen from Naboo _/There's something… familiar… about her…./_ He wondered what had happened to Artoo, and felt guilty for not taking better care of his faithful droid. His train of thought was distracted by Mara Jade for quite awhile, and by the time he remembered Leia, he'd been day-dreaming for quite a while.

His eyes snapped open. _/Leia/_

She'd been on her way, he was sure. Perhaps she was nearby already?

Again he wondered what had woken him up. _/Well, I know it wasn't Leia../_

Reflexively he felt out to her through the force, and was shocked to realise that he could sense her, just. Carefully he reached out towards her warm presence. It was only then he realised it wasn't his sister. _/mara jade./_ He drew back in shock.

As he withdrew he felt the concerned brush of his sister against him.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. _/Why can sense Mara Jade before my own twin?…/_ Very slowly he reached out towards her. She was engulfed in a sense of pain and nothingness.

_/She's unconscious/_ He impulsively reached out towards her, sensing the injury to her head that had knocked her out. _/she's hurt/_ The worry and concern for her that he felt surprised him a little. He didn't have any to spare, but he still sent her some of his strength, pulling her back from the darkness and numbing her pain. After a few minutes he felt her suddenly jerk to consciousness. Focusing his weak force sense, he called to her, _/Mara/_ There was no response, her mental shields slammed shut and luke found himself back in his room.

He tried very hard not be offended at Mara's reaction to him,

He sat up again, more carefully this time. The force murmured softly in the back of his mind. Not nearly as strong as usual, but there none the less.

_/Well, at least I know some of my force sense is back…And I've been sitting here like a prize Bantha…/_

Mentally berating himself, Luke put Mara Jade out of his mind, and quickly stretched out around him, testing how much of his strength had returned to him. He could feel two guards at his door, and another six further up the hallway, but beyond that was only fuzz and vague imprints.

Relaxing himself, he pulled back. His head throbbed again and his breathing had become ragged. He felt like he'd been levitating a star destroyer for half an hour. _/Well, only a little bit of my strength is back. And I guess waking Mara up wasn't a good idea. But it's enough…/_ The most important thing to do he decided, was to contact Leia. He could tell that she was nearby.

'The Golden Blaster' – Tapcaf of ill Repute 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

Dalhir, Meridian Sector It was cold. Her bunk was much too hard. 

Mara rolled over, reaching for her blanket.

Her head throbbed. She frowned and let out a little groan. _/Uh... too many corellian burns.../_

Without thinking she tried to use the force to help the pain and quell the beginnings of a giddy hangover. Reaching out she was surprised to sense someone else. The presence was familiar.

It was warm and welcoming. It reached out towards her and instinctively she accepted it. She smiled as the presence warmed her and the pain in her head diminished.

She relaxed and let her pain and drunkenness slowly faded away. She was so tired, she didn't have the strength to help herself, and she was so _warm…_

Gradually she became aware of noises. People talking. Someone was shaking her.

With cruel speed her senses returned to her and Mara realised she was lying on the filthy floor of the _Golden Blaster._ She could smell the ale and stale t'bac smoke. There was glass and mirrored composite digging into her back. She could feel where it had dug deep scratches into her arms and back.

And she knew who had pulled her out of unconsciousness. _/Skywalker/_.

Her eyes snapped open and she let a surge of anger fill her. His voice vibrated weakly in her mind, coming from the warm presence she'd been luxuriating in, _/mara/_

He sounded concerned. Mara's anger doubled. She slammed her shields down, blocking him out.

_/Concerned? Worried! After his girlfriend did this to me/_

She ignored the crowd of pirates peering down at her and stood.

Her head spun slightly, but Skywalker had rid her of the effects of her concussion

They turned to her expectantly, all falling silent.

She found Radan standing nearby. 'Well! What are you standing around for! Get me a speeder!' She glanced around the crowd, noting the severed limbs on the dirty floor, and a decapitated Bothan slumped near the bar. 'No one leaves Tortugaa alive!'

An angry cheer went up around her and the crowd dispersed to take revenge.

Mara followed Radan to his speeder. In her newly-sobered mind she saw the events of the last few hours over again. She'd been _upset_, she'd been _sad_ when she thought Skywalker had died, and it had all been a trick! He'd just wanted her off her guard when his friends turned up to rescue him!

_/And I fell for it like some love-struck little girl/_

She'd never been so embarrassed. He'd made a fool of her in front of Karrde, and then in front of the crowd at the _Golden Blaster_.

Her anger grew until she could feel it burning up inside her, fighting to get out and _hurt _someone.

_/That Jedi and his little friends are going to rue the day they crossed Mara Jade…/_

An Alley, several blocks from the Golden Blaster 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

Dalhir, Meridian Sector 

Han was in the process of 'borrowing' a landspeeder when his wife suddenly gasped.

They were crouched in a row along the side of the parked speeder, (A nice, very fast performance model as far as he and Chewie could tell.), ankle-deep in sandy desert dust.

At Leia's exclamation, Han spun on his heels, (flicking sand all over her lap), and glanced up the alley beyond her. He was reaching for his blaster, expecting a mob of angry space pirates. But the alley was still and dark. Leia was staring at nothing.

Han glanced at Chewie, who shrugged, growling that he couldn't smell anyone nearby.

Reached a hand to pat Leia on the shoulder, Han realised that he was holding the landspeeder's locking immobiliser in his fist. They wouldn't be able to break into it subtly now… 'Opps.. er, Chewie, open the door would ya?'

Shuffling closer to his wife and clearing the way for a wookie to pull the locking mechanism off the speeder, he let the broken immobiliser fall to the soft ground..

'Er, sweetie?… Are you alright?'

Leia didn't reply at first, just continued staring very hard at a patch of dark empty street in front of them.

'Luke's here.'

'huh?'

She turned to face him, 'He;s very weak, but he's nearby!'

Beside him there was a loud thud and then an electric whirring as Chewie convinced the speeder door to open.

'Leia honey, I'm not following. Did luke come with you?'

She shook her dyed blonde hair, 'No, he went missing during a skirmish near the Tion Cluster over a week ago.' She paused to roll her eyes, 'somehow he managed to get captured by space-pirates.'

Han shook his head, 'Only your kid brother...'

She smiled briefly, 'yeah...'

A furry fist grabbed onto Han's shoulder before she could finish however, and Han found himself seated in the speeder. His wife followed in a more dignified, non-wookie assisted manner a few seconds later.

Chewie quickly ambled in after them, howling that he smelt drunk twi-lek.

Leia raised an eyebrow at Han, 'well, shall we leave?'

Her husband quickly started the speeder, 'Sure thing. Where to?'

Leia frowned, 'I assumed to the falcon…it is on planet right?' A thought struck her, '…You haven't been gambling again have you?'

Han sighed and pointed the speeder in the opposite direction to the _Golden Blaster _'I meant, do we need to rescue the kid?'

Leia blushed a little, or at least, Han thought she was blushing, it was dark, and the instrument lights made her skin look green, 'I'm not sure exactly where he is… I'll try and get a hold on him…'

Han drove a 'casual' loop through the spaceport while she sunk into a trance. The buildings crammed into the crater were lit with vivid antiquated neons, many of which flicked. Revellers spilled out of doorways and onto the narrow streets. Groups of suspicious figures congregated in dark alleys and door stoops. Other speeders flew around recklessly, and a few of the buildings bore the signs of high-speed collisions. In another lifetime, Han thought, he would have been at home here. But then he caught sight of an ominous building backing up to the edge of the crater. It was huge and slightly more elegantly lit then the rest of Tortugaa. No flickering pink neon. It was obviously Karrde's.

Chewie meanwhile, seemingly uninterested in the view, climbed over the front bench seats and began rummaging through the luggage and storage compartments in the rear.

After a few minutes he ripped out the back seat and discovered a large very lethal looking blaster-rocket.

Catching a glimpse in the rear viewscreen display, Han whistled. 'Whoa Chewie. I haven't seen one of them in years…' Chewie inspected the battery charge, presenting Han with a view of the nozzle. '…Hey… Be careful with that thing…'

When Han returned his attention to the front he barely had time to pull the speeder into a steep climb and avoid a head-on collision. He was very glad that he and Leia had bothered to put on their restraint harnesses.

Chewie hadn't, and had been thrown over in the back. But he was too enthralled with his new toy to howl at his friend, and luckily for Han, Leia didn't seemed to have noticed the sudden jerky evasive manoeuvre, and no high pitched tirade came from her direction.

_/Good thing to../_

'I did notice Han. Expect a 'high pitched tirade' later…' She paused, 'Oh, and by the way, your red-haired _girlfriend_ was in that speeder.''

'Oh, great. Well, I'm glad we had this little talk.'

He glanced at the rear proximity displays. The speeder that they'd almost ploughed into was now following them. _/And gaining./_ Whoever was piloting it was good. _/It can't be the twi-lek or the red-head. They were way too drunk../_

Han glanced at his serene wife, 'Er, Princess? Some directions would come in handy any time now…'

There was a deep _thwoosh_ sound from the rear of the speeder.

Han half turned in alarm, 'Chewie! I hope you're actually aiming at something!'

The wookie woofed indignantly and hung out the side window to take another shot, leaving just his hairy legs inside the vehicle.

Han glanced at the proximity displays just in time to see a building a block behind them disappear in a white blur on the heat sensitive read out.

'CHEWIE!'

There was an apologetic sort of howl from the general direction of the back left window, but his exact words were lost to the wind.

Han tried to ignore him, and the _thwhoosh_ noise of discharging blaster-rockets, but the way the rear display screen keep turn white with each explosion was very distracting.

Leia meanwhile simply sat next to him with her eyes shut.

_/they're both insane…/_

Leia turned to face him, eyebrow raised sceptically, 'That's pretty rich coming from you…'

'Hey! Quit it with the mind-reading mumbo-jumbo already! A man needs some privacy you know…'

Leia crossed her arms.

Han spent the next few minutes dodging other speeders, buildings and the branches of one very large and very unlikely (they _were_ in a desert) tree. When the pilot of the speeder behind them matched him move for move _and_ somehow avoided being caught in the barrage of blast-rocket fire coming from Chewie, he started to get nervous.

They needed to get out of Tortuga while they still could. Pretty soon every pirate in the port would be after them. _/And if all their speeders have blaster rocket launchers in them…/_

Leia interrupted his depressing trail of thought, 'Han, we need to get over that way.' She gestured towards the edge of the crater that sheltered the port. Straight at the massive building he'd noticed earlier built into the cliff-like edge.

'Is that where the kid is?'

She nodded. Her face was very pale. 'We need to hurry Han, I think he's in danger.'

The bridge they were approaching suddenly exploded in a blinding flash of a rocket explosion. A few pedestrians fell flailing to the ground and a speeder bike spun out of control and into the side of a building.

_/Well, looks like they found their blaster-rockets…/_ Han's quick reflexes kicked in just in time, pulling the speeder into a turn that even the high performance stabilisers couldn't compensate for.

The speeder was up on its side, Chewie dangling from the top window, his feet kicking wildly. The loose back seat smashed against the other rear window and wedged itself halfway out.

Han overloaded the repulsorlifts and they scrapped along the wall of a stone building almost gently, sending a flickering red sign of a waving twi-lek tumbling towards the ground before accelerating up and away from the now collapsing bridge.

'Han! Can you straighten up already!'

'What? No thank-you?'

He continued to hold the speeder vertical along it's side, using the repulsorlifts against the tall bank of buildings lining the road to keep it relatively stable. Every few seconds a sign or string of lights flew over the front viewscreen in a shower of sparks. Leia glared at him, 'Han! Stop it!'

Behind him Chewie kicked at his seat and howled.

Feeling a little foolish, Han straightened, he'd forgotten about chewie hanging from the window. 'Er..Sorry buddy…'

Leia sighed. And scanned the view of the city before them. Along her left she could see towers of black smoke, almost all of them caused my Chewie's blaster-rocket, blocking out the lights of the spaceport and the stars. Reaching out in the force she could feel a very angry presence behind them. The twi-lek and the red-headed woman from the tap-café. Only by straining her senses could she identify her twin's weak, strange feeling presence.

Her hand moved of its own accord, pointing at what appeared to be ship yard backing onto the impressive building in the cliff-face.

Han squinted at it. 'Hey, I think that might be the shipyard Chewie and I were looking for…'

Leia smirked, 'Needed to make some repairs?'

Han scowled, 'Just a few minor adjustments…'

His wife nodded solemnly, 'The hyperdrive failed again didn't it?'

'…maybe…'

A Really Big Bedroom, Talon Karrde's Palace 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

Talon Karrde was feeling good.

For the first time in his life, everything was going his way.

He had a valuable hostage unconscious downstairs, the New Republic Chief of State at his mercy, and of course, his beloved Tortugaa.

A lazy smile spread over his lips.

He stretched out on his conform couch and took a delicate sip of the pale blue Alderaanian vintage in his glass.

The room was silent for a few minutes, save the soft music wafting from concealed speakers.

Then a sigh escaped him as his lovely twi-lek masseuse, Capra, worked a particularly annoying knot out of his left foot.

_/Having such handsome boots has its downside… But you must suffer for fashion I suppose…/_

Out of the long window that formed one side of the room, the lights of Tortugaa Blinked cheerfully at him, Speeders and ships soaring through the air erratically.

He passed his now empty glass to a servant and leant back into the velvet softness of the couch. He watched two particularly fast speeders chase each other around for a few minutes, but eventually he bored of the impressive display and his eyelids grew heavy…

A Hallway, Talon Karrde's Palace 

_Tortugua Galactic Spaceport_

_Dalhir, Meridian Sector_

He'd managed to get as far as the end of the hallway before he'd run into trouble.

The guards at his door were asleep, three more lay beside him unconscious, and unfortunately a fourth was dead.

The guards themselves weren't the trouble, even to a weak, injured jedi a few heavies with blasters weren't ever going to be an issue. The problem was much, much, worse.

As he'd passed over the threshold and continued along a new corridor, Luke felt a cold stab of fear and shock, followed by an instant weakness and pain that spread out from his fevered blood. The moment he'd passed the junction in the hallway, he'd been cut off from the force again.

The sensation wasn't as dramatic as it had been hours before when he'd arrived at Karrde's Palace, but he hadn't had a fever then. He staggered a few dizzy steps then leant against the elaborate wooden panelling of the walls.

_/What's going on? How is he doing this? A drug or an illness can't affect me like this…/_

Luke's frustration turned to cold dread, _/Maybe it's me.. maybe I'm loosing my connection with the force…/_

It wasn't unheard of. Amongst the meagre records that he'd collected since the fall of the empire, there were stories of disillusioned knights who'd been forsaken by the force. Not many, but a few. His brain was getting foggy with fever again, he couldn't think straight.

_/no! I can't... That can't be happening to me/_

Vainly he tried with all his strength to touch the current of power that he'd always felt flowing through him. Nothing. Not Mara, not the sleeping guards… He couldn't even sense Leia, not even dimly.

In a daze he continued along the hall. _/I have to get out of this place…/_

He stumbled along, robotically putting one aching leg in front of another, supporting himself against the wall with his good arm. Without the force to sustain him, he was loosing what little strength he'd regained rapidly. He wasn't even hungry anymore. _/when did I last eat?.. Some of Karrde's drugged dinner I guess.. but not much... I was hungry.. before…I guess the last time was… on the Star of Naboo?… when was that?.. /_ At the prompt of the name, his thoughts drifted back to the painting he'd seen earlier.

Imagining a noise, he glanced up the hallway, his rambling internal monologue pausing, _/empty…/_ Turning back down the hall he continued, his damaged cybernetic arm dangling uselessly. Every time he moved it throbbed. _/…Naboo.. That's where I recognised that painting from… The Star must be named after the system that Queen's from../_ He felt a little pleased now that he'd explained why the painting had struck a chord with him. But now he had nothing to distract himself with.

Up ahead was another junction. The hallway he was following ended abruptly and divided into two. He slowed. Without the force he was just running blind. He could be heading further away from the exit for all he knew. A wave of despair swelled in him. _/I should just sit here… There's no point in going on…/_

But Luke was nothing if not an optimist, and his body continued on anyway, ignoring the idea.

He paused in the middle of the intersecting hallways, they seemed identical in both directions. Long wide corridors lined with soft glow globes and white statues of stylised humanoid figures. _/More of karrde's 'antiques' no doubt../_

Randomly he swung in the right direction, the sudden movement bringing a fresh jarring bolt of pain from his throbbing arm. He inhaled sharply through his teeth, again noting the cold, recycled quality of the air._ /It's like a ship…/_

Before he had time to ponder further on the nature of Karrde's air scubbers, the force suddenly flared back to life in him again.

He gasped in shock. Instantly he felt stronger. The pain in his arm more bearable, the weakness of his fever negligible.

As the confusion lifted from his brain, he realised that almost 10 minutes had past since he'd broken through the magnetic-locks of his room._ /Karrde must be suspicious.. I'm sure he had that room monitored. Unless this is a trap.. Unless he's just playing with me/_

That wasn't worth thinking about. Besides, Leia was nearby! In his fever luke had almost forgotten her. She hadn't been able to talk to him, his force connection was too weak, but she was coming. She was close and she knew he was in danger.

_/Poor Leia, always having to come and bail me out…/_

AN: Sorry about the delay on this chapter! I am still alive, and the rest is on its way..

I am in the middle of moving house at the moment, and I still haven't gotten a new computer.. so if you spot any typos (There _has_ to be a few!) please point them out.

Big Big thanks to le0nidas for HIS pm-review awhile back. (and sorry for referring to you as a girl!), and to everyone who took the time to leave me some feedback. It makes my day. 


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